Skyway Avenue
by DemetriaFeels
Summary: Lilly's and Miley's lives take many unexpected turns. They have to deal with the death of a friend, falling in love, and coming out. Loosely based off We The Kings' song. First few chapters are kind of crappy. It gets better, I promise! Summary is sucky.
1. Fighting

Hey so I just wanted to try writing a Liley story to see if I could. I know it doesn't seem like a Liley right now, but it will be at some point. Trust me. It will be told in Miley AND Lilly's point of views. Please tell me what you think.

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**Chapter 1**

Lilly's POV

I was sitting at the Surf Shack with Oliver , one of my two best friends. This was normal. I always hung out with Oliver and Miley, my best friends. Only this time it was different. This time, it was just me and Oliver. And we were talking about becoming...more than friends. I was excited. I really liked Oliver. But, I felt very guilty. I mean, Miley was going to be pissed. I never told her I liked him. He never told her he liked me, either.

"So…do you want to go out?" Oliver took my hand and smiled. My heart started to beat faster and I felt guilty again, but I ignored it.

"Yes." I flashed him one of my famous smiles.

He smiled and leaned in to kiss me. I kissed him back, but all I could see was Miley's angry face. But Oliver was such a good kisser that I lost that image quickly.

I pulled away and looked in his eyes. They were worried.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" He asked.

"Of course, why do you ask?" Now I was worried.

"Well…when we kissed, you were kind of hesitant…"

"Oh." I sighed. "Sorry. I was just thinking about Miley."

"You were thinking about Miley when we were kissing?!" His worried looked turned into one of horror. Girl on girl action kind of freaked him out. I couldn't understand why. There wasn't anything wrong with it… They weren't hurting anyone.

"Not like that… Just about how she is going to react when she finds out we are dating."

"Oh…" He frowned.

"Yeah." I sighed again.

"Should I tell her? Or will you?" Oliver bit his nails, like he always did when he was nervous.

"I'll tell her. It's better if she hears it from me." I winced just thinking about her possible reactions.

--

Miley's POV

I had been calling Lilly for the past half hour. She was not answering. I was pissed! I hated when she didn't answer her damn phone!

"Lilly, damnit! Answer!" I said, listening to her phone ring and ring, yet again. No answer. I threw my phone down on my bed and folded my arms over my chest.

--

Lilly

After I said goodbye to Oliver, I started walking over to Miley's house. My stomach was nervous. My hands shook. I hated upsetting her. But something else was bothering me, too. It was what Oliver had said to me.

"_You were thinking about Miley when we were kissing?!" _He had said.

True, I had thought of Miley when I kissed Oliver. But it was only because I didn't want to upset her, right?

"It's just because she's my best friend and I don't like her being upset," I said to myself as I walked. Yeah, that sounded right. The not in my stomach churned even more as her house came into view.

--

Miley

I was really getting annoyed with Lilly. I knew she was with Oliver. They had been spending a lot of time together lately. That bugged me. It felt like I was loosing my best friends.

A sudden knock at the door jolted me from my thoughts. I ran down stairs. Through the glass door, I could see Lilly. She was twirling a blonde curl with her finger. That's how she calmed herself when she was nervous. But why was she nervous? I opened the door.

"Where have you been?!" I almost screamed. " I have been calling you for half an hour!"

Her big blue eyes grew even larger. I could tell she was surprised. I almost never yelled at her. And looking into her eyes, I saw fear.

_God, I love her eyes_, I thought. _Wait, why did I think that?!_

"_Well…I turned it off." Lilly bit her lip. Another nervous trait. Something was up._

"_Why?" I half-screamed._

"_I was with Oliver at the Surf Shack." She took half a step back._

"_Like…on a date?"_

"_How did you know?" She was trying to make me laugh. Not working._

"_You've been spending a lot of time together lately." I sighed._

"_And you hate that…" She looked down. How come she was always right? She knew me too well…_

"_Well, yeah!" I crossed my arms._

"_Miley, look, I like him!" She frowned. I didn't like to see her frown. "Can't you just accept that?!"_

"_I just don't like the two of you dating, okay?!"_

"_Well get used to it, 'cause me and Oliver are official!" She turned and ran away._

_I slammed the door and buried my face in my hands. I wanted to cry. I truly hated fighting with Lilly._

_That's all for this chapter! Sorry if it was too short. I am a beginner on here. So, suggestions and stuff are welcome! Thanks!_


	2. Innocence Lost

_Hey so here is chapter 2. I haven't gotten any reviews, which makes me sad. I don't even know if anyone actually read my story. Which…you should because it's getting better. So please review. I'll read and review yours!….I think this goes without saying, but I DON'T OWN HANNAH MONTANA. So there. _

_--_

_**Lilly's POV**_

_I was on the phone with Oliver, talking about what I had just went through with Miley._

"_So…she was pissed?" Oliver asked._

"_Yup. Just like I knew she would be," I answered, twirling my hair around my finger._

"_That sucks…What are you going to do?"_

"_Me?! We're in this together, Hun!"_

_He laughed. "Fine."_

"_So on a brighter note, do you want to do something tomorrow?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood._

"_Well I was going to go surfing. Do you want to come?" Oliver offered._

"_I would love to!" I smiled even though I was still upset. _

_--_

_**Miley's POV**_

_I picked up my cell phone and called the last person I ever wanted to see again._

"_Hello?" The voice on the other end asked._

"_Hey, it's Miley," I said, a weird feeling in my stomach._

"_Miley? Wow…I never expected to hear from you again."_

"_Yeah. I know." _

"_So…What made you decide to call me?"_

"_I was hoping you would want to come over tonight." I shuffled my feet._

"_And do what, exactly?"_

"_I think you know," I said, trying to sound sexy._

"_Are you serious?"_

"_Why wouldn't I be?"_

"_I thought you didn't want to see me anymore."_

"_I know, but I changed my mind," I lied. Truth was, no I did not want to see them EVER again. Not in a million years! But here I was, inviting this person over._

"_Well what about your brother and your dad?"_

"_They went out of town for a monster truck rally." This is the most honest thing I had said in the whole conversation so far._

"_You're home alone?"_

"_They trust me."_

_Even though they shouldn't_, I thought.

"Alright." I could hear a smile on their voice. "Be there in a few."

I hung up and put my phone on silent. I didn't want any interruptions. Nervously, I began pacing around my room. I threw some dirty clothes under my bed. I lit a few candles and set some music in the background coming from my Ipod. I then put on my shortest pair of short shorts and a black tank top that was _way _too small for me. I looked in the mirror.

"I look like such a slut," I said to myself, taking it all in. "Perfect."

The doorbell rang, which made me jump.

"Well here goes everything," I mumbled to myself.

I walked down the stairs shaking.

_I can't believe I'm doing this_, I thought to myself.

I opened the door. There, standing before me, was my ex-boyfriend Jake Ryan.

"Hey," he said with a smile. He looked me up and down. I could feel his eyes linger over every curve. They lingered the longest on my chest, though. "You look…Wow…"

"What took you so long?" I asked, leaning on the door and trying to look and sound seductive. From the look on Jake's face, I could tell I was doing a pretty good job at it.

"Uh…I had to…pick up something on the way." He was fidgeting.

"Oh…What?" I had a pretty good idea what he had stopped to get, but I asked anyway.

"Um…uh…a c-condom." His face turned red. He was nervous.

"Well then." I coughed nervously. "Let's not let your purchase go to waste."

I took him by the hand and led him up the stairs to my room. Once there, he looked around carefully. While he examined the pictures on my walls, "The Church of Hot Addiction" by Cobra Starship started blasting for my Ipod's speakers.

_Just let me ask you: Hey, have you heard of my religion? It's called the Church of Hot Addiction And we believe that God has lust for everything Because now, The time has come for your devotion And you already got a notion Of what I need So give it, just give it, Just give it to me You're willing, I'm waiting. Turn out the lights _

"Your room is nice." He smiled politely.

"Enough small talk," I said and pressed my lips against his. I fought the urge to pull away and gag. I could already tell I wasn't going to enjoy this.

The song continued.

_Tonight I am the drug you can't deny Tonight G-A-B-E gonna get you high My light is electric, hey hey heyMy light is electric, yeah, hey hey heyMy light is electric, hey hey heyMy light is electric, yeah, hey hey heyMy light it electric_

Jake parted my lips with his and pushed his tongue inside of my mouth. Soon, we were lying on my bed and the clothes were coming off. As things heated up more and more, I kept thinking of Lilly. She would be pissed if she knew what I was doing. But what did she care? She had Oliver. She was probably doing the same thing with him right now.

_Just let me tell you Hey, you gotta get the Cobra bless now You're really only selling sex now __But I can pay The price you charge for what I need _

That's when it hit me. Lilly wasn't doing the same thing with Oliver. She was probably sitting at home waiting for me to call so we could make up because she did care. We'd had a fight and she wanted to make things right, most probably. And here I was, making things worse. But it's too late to turn back, because Jake's already sliding in.

I wince in pain.

And there goes my innocence…

_--_

**Lilly's POV**

I sat there, staring at my phone. Oliver and I had hung up over an hour ago. That was plenty enough time for Miley to call. She couldn't stay mad at me forever, could she?

I sighed in frustration.

_She has to forgive me. She just has to_, I thought. _I can't go much longer without hearing her voice_.

I pressed a random button on my phone to make sure it was still working. Yup. Still working.

_Why hasn't she called?!_ I thought. _Maybe I should call her? I'll give her another twenty minutes…But I need to hear that crazy brunette's voice soon._

I turned my Ipod on and stuck the headphones in my ears. Scrolling through the artists list, I saw the name "Hannah Montana" and selected it. At least I could hear her voice…even if it was prerecorded.

_Why?_ you may ask since my best friend's name is Miley? Well…she isn't only Miley. She leads a double life. Normal teen by day. Pop star by night. Yes, Miley Stewart, my best friend in the whole world, is Hannah Montana. And that girl that follows her around that has different color hair every week…Well, that's me. I called myself Lola Luftnagle. And if you're wondering about that dork that hangs around with us and tries to act gangster (Mike Stanley III), yeah that's Oliver. What a loser.

Miley has to deal with so many things that most teens don't. She is constantly watched…er…when she's Hannah, that is. But she keeps her double life a secret. Only me, Oliver, and her family know. Well…her jerk of an ex-boyfriend Jake Ryan does, too. But who cares about him? We won't be seeing him anytime soon, I hope.

But because of all the things Miley has to go through and how much stress she has in her life, she is an amazing person. She doesn't care what people think about her and she lives for herself. All of these things, and more, are the reasons I admire her so much. I love her.

Wait, _love_. Did I say that? Uh…let me explain…I love her like a sister. Nothing more. Hehe. Did you buy that?….Yeah me neither.

A smile spread across my face when "One In a Million" came on. Yeah. Miley sure is one in a million.

--

**Miley's POV**

Jake and I laid in my bed surrounded by awkward silence. After what seemed like forever, he got up and got dressed, avoiding my eyes.

"Leaving?" I asked, pretending to be disappointed and trying to hide the fact that I hoped he would just go away and never come back.

"Yeah…um…I have…an audition tomorrow," he said. That didn't sound to honest, though. Sure, he was an actor and he did go to auditions, but the way he said it made me think that he didn't really have an audition to go to tomorrow.

"Oh…will you call me after?"

_Please don't_, I thought.

"Sure," he said quietly while putting his shoes on.

He got up, kissed my forehead, and left. A few moments later I heard the front door slam and the sound of tires squealing.

_Wow he was in a hurry to leave_, I thought.

I stood up and stretched. I felt gross, so I decided to take a shower.

I turned the shower on hot and climbed in. I scrubbed all over very hard, determined to get every trace of Jake off of my body.

After my shower, I dressed in my most comfortable pair of pajamas: the blue ones with the pink flowers. Totally ugly, but comfy none-the-less. Then I looked around my room. Something on the floor caught my eye. Moving closer, I noticed with disgust that it was the used condom. Jake couldn't have kept the damn thing as a souvenir like most guys do?!

I groaned and went to the bathroom, getting a tissue. I went back to my room and picked the condom up with the tissue. I held it out far from me like it was a bug or something and carried it downstairs and outside, grabbing my cell phone with my free hand on the way out. I walked down to the beach and threw the tissue onto the sand. I ran back to my house and grabbed a box of matches. Then I returned to the beach. With trembling hands, I struck the match. I watched the small flame dance on the tip of the match for a bit and then dropped the match onto the tissue. It caught quickly and began to burn. I watched with satisfaction. Then, as I watched my innocence burn away, I took my cell phone out and called the one person who could make me feel better when my world was crashing down.

--

Wow didn't see that one coming?! Hehe…Well yeah stay tuned, I guess. I have big plans for this. And be patient with "Liley." It's coming. They just have to work their issues out first. So review, please! Feedback would be awesome!


	3. Lilly's Wipeout

**Alright so I got some reviews. They make me happy. And because I was happy, I was motivated to write more. So here I go with chapter 3. You guys rock! Oh, and I don't own Hannah Montana. **

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**Lilly's POV**

I woke to the sensation of vibrating in my hand. I looked at the clock. I had fallen asleep about an hour or so ago, I suppose. I looked at my hand, where the vibrations were coming from and realized it was my phone. I was lucky I had it on ring AND vibrate because my Ipod was still blasting in my ears and I wouldn't have heard it. I was about to press ignore and go back to sleep when I decided to check to see who it was first. The caller I.D. read "Miley." I was instantly wide awake. I yanked my headphones out of my ears and answered the call.

"Hello?" I asked, breathlessly.

"Hey, Lil." Miley's voice cracked. She sounded like she'd been crying. Why, though?

"Miley, what's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"I…I…" On the other end, I could hear sobbing.

"Miley, calm down, Sweety. Just tell me what's wrong." _Sweety_? Where did that come from?!

"I think I made a _huge_ mistake, Lilly," Miley said, sounding like she was calming down a little.

"What did you do?" Okay, now she's really getting me worried.

"I can't say it over the phone." She stopped. I could hear her blowing her nose.

"Why not?" Okay, freaking me out much?!

"It's too big…" There was a pause. "Can you come over?"

"I don't know. It's kind of late." 1:07 in the morning. Well…that could be late or early. Just depends on how you look at it.

"Oh. Yeah. I understand." Her voice sounded disappointed. I hated her being disappointed.

"No, wait. I'm coming." I stood up. "I'll just leave a note for my mom telling her where I am."

"Thank you so much, Lilly."

………………………………...

I hung up with Miley and put my shoes on. I ran a brush through my blonde hair. Then, I hurried and scribbled a note for my mom.

_Mom,_

_Miley called and needs me. She's home alone and crying. I was worried, so I'm going over there. Please don't call Mr. Stewart. I'm sure she's fine. It's probably just her "time of the month." I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't want to wake you. I'll probably be spending the night, so don't wait up. Call me if you feel the need._

_-Lilly_

I left the note on my pillow. Then, I grabbed my favorite hoodie and ran down the stairs, pulling it over my head in the on the way. I was lucky I didn't fall in the process.

Before I knew it, I was strapping my helmet on my head and grabbing my board. I threw it down and hopped on. I was going fast, but I didn't notice nor care. I didn't enjoy the cool night air on my face or blowing through my blonde locks like I normally would. Only one thing mattered: Miley needed me. That meant I had to get to her- fast! It didn't matter that she'd been stubborn and unreasonable when we were fighting earlier. All that I cared about at that point was getting to Miley.

I guess that's why I didn't notice the stick on the sidewalk. And by the time I did see it, it was too late. My front wheel caught it. My front halted, but my back insisted on continuing. And because of this, I was thrown off of my board, landing face-first on the sidewalk.

Painfully, I got up, muttering "Shit." I felt pain in various places, but I ignored it, got back on my board, and kept going.

--

**Miley's POV**

I sat on the couch curled up in a ball, crying. I had been crying since Jake left, but hadn't noticed until I called Lilly. It was only when I was talking to her that I was able to calm down and stop crying. It filled this hole that gnawed at my insides. But, as soon as I hung up with her, the hole was back again, and ached worse than ever. Why did she have this effect on me? And what was taking her so long?

I recollected myself long enough to sit up and face the door. I sat there, waiting. And then, I saw her. My heart started beating faster. Why? I stood up.

She looked at me. I could tell she could notice I was crying. She didn't even stop. She just jumped off her board, threw her helmet off, and ran through the door. She didn't knock. She didn't need to. And at about the same time, I tried to make my way to the door to greet her. But I was still numb and my limbs weren't agreeing with my body's decision to move.

I stumbled…right into Lilly's arms, which were waiting to catch me. I didn't say anything, just buried my face in her neck and cried. While I cried, she held me, rubbing my back with her hand in small circles. It was so damn soothing! I calmed down in no time. And I stopped crying, too. But Lilly stayed hugging me. And I didn't protest or stop hugging her, either. Hugging her just felt so good. So…natural. I never noticed before, but did she always smell so…amazing?

Lilly was the first to break the hug, clearing her throat. I reluctantly unhooked my arms from around her neck. Neither of us spoke. Lilly bit her lip and looked at the ceiling. Biting her lip…she was nervous?! Why was she nervous?! And why wasn't she looking at me?! I, for some odd reason, couldn't take my eyes off of her. And that's when I realized: She was a mess! Her whole front was filthy.

"Uh…Lilly?" I asked, breaking awkward the silence.

"Yeah?" she continued to stare at the ceiling.

_Look at me, damnit_! I thought

"Why are you so filthy?" I scrunched up my nose as if she smelled bad, too, which she didn't. She smelled really nice….

"What?" She finally took her eyes off the ceiling and looked down at herself. "Oh…I flew off my skateboard on the way over here."

"Oh, no. You're bleeding!" I said. It was true. Red was trickling down her leg from a scrape on her knee.

"Oh shit!" She slapped herself in the forehead. "I never even noticed it!"

"Come on. Let's get that cleaned up so it doesn't get infected." I took her hand in mine and started to lead her to the bathroom. With the way she had been avoiding my eyes, I half-expected Lilly to pull her hand away. But instead, she did something that totally surprised me: she actually laced her fingers with mine. This brought a huge smile to my face. Soon though, we were at the bathroom and I had to let go of her hand. I frowned at the sudden coldness I felt on my hand when I let go.

Lilly sat on the counter and put her feet up, bending the leg with the hurt knee so I could clean it. I took a hand cloth and wet it with warm water. I pressed it to her scraped knee.

"Ouch." She winced in pain. "That stings."

"I'm sorry, but I have to clean it." I smirked. She acts so tough, but try to clean a little scrape, and she's such a wimp!

"Just do it quickly." She closed her eyes.

"You know, I only need one hand to clean this scrape. You could squeeze my free hand if it helps," I offered, hoping she would take it. I missed the way her hand felt in mine.

"Okay." She took my hand.

God, I loved that. I blushed a little, hoping she wouldn't notice. Then I got to work on her knee again. I cleaned the blood away from the cut. Lilly squeezed my hand so tight I lost the feeling in it. But hell, I didn't mind. I cleaned the cut with peroxide. This caused her to squeeze my hand even tighter, which I didn't think was possible.

"God, Lilly. I'm just cleaning your cut. It's not like you're giving birth or anything. Do you really need to crush my hand?" I teased. But then I got scared. What if she let go of hand? To my relief, she didn't.

"Hey, you offered." She smirked at me. I smiled at this. Why was she so…adorable? Uh…wait…_Adorable_? Well…yeah. There really was no other way to describe Lilly.

Finally, I was done cleaning her scrape. Okay, I admit that I took longer than necessary so I could hold her hand longer. I just hoped Lilly wouldn't notice…

"Are you done yet?" she whined. "You're taking forever!"

Whoops! Guess she did notice…

"Almost." I sighed. "Just have to put the band aide on. And for that, I need my hand back."

I tried my best to hide my disappointment. I looked into her eyes. She looked back, but then dropped her to our hands, which were still locked together. She looked back up into my eyes and the let go of my hand. Was it just me, or did she look…reluctant? Nah! Must be a trick of the light or something. Whatever. I tore my eyes away from hers and opened the band aide. I slowly and carefully put it over her cut.

"There. All better," I said with a smile and looked at her. She smiled back. Then, without realizing what I was doing, I bent down and kissed her knee. It was meant to be a simple peck, but once my lips made contact with her skin, they wanted to stay there. They enjoyed the warmth. Lilly cleared her throat. Shit. Reluctantly, I took my lips off of her knee, my face flushing and me hoping she wouldn't notice this.

--

**Oooooohh! What's going on now? Haha. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. Please review. Reviews motivate me to write more. Thanks!**


	4. You Did What!

_**Alright thanks for the reviews! You guys totally rock!**_

_**I don't own Hannah Montana because if I did, Miley Cyrus would be unemployed.**_

_!!_

_**Lilly's POV**_

_Miley finished cleaning my scrape and I climbed off the counter._

_Was is just me, or was something weird going on? I mean, when I got here, I couldn't stop hugging Miley and when I finally decided to let go, she didn't. Then, we held hands on the way to the bathroom. And I laced my fingers with hers. I couldn't help it, I just did. It felt really nice. It made my whole body warm. Then, she let me hold it again when she cleaned my knee. And when she had to let go, I didn't want her to. Finally, she kissed my knee…for several seconds! When this happened, I made a weird little noise that I covered up by making it sound like I was clearing my throat. But the most odd part is when she picked her head up, she was blushing! She had been blushing a lot tonight! I like it when she blushed, though._

"_Lil?" Miley asked, tearing me from my thoughts._

"_Hmm? What?" I asked, looking at her. She had a funny look on her face. Had she just asked me a question?_

"_I said, 'do you wanna go to my room?'" Miley said slowly, making sure I was paying attention to her this time._

"_Oh…yeah, sure." I said with a chuckle. Leave it to me to totally space out!_

_She turned and went into the hall. I followed and, without thinking, grabbed her hand. I couldn't help it, it was just a reflex. She looked down at this then looked at me. My face turned red, but I kept holding on. To let her know I was there for her. Yeah, that's why I did it._

_We got to her room and flopped down on her bed. I sat beside her._

"_Uh…Lilly…No offense, but I don't want you sitting on my bed," Miley said, scrunching up her nose. "You're filthy!"_

"_Well sorry!" I stood up and put my hands on my hips. "But I don't have a change of clothes!"_

_Miley got up off of her bed and went over to her dresser. She opened a drawer and got a pair of pajamas out, then threw them at me. Because I wasn't expecting them to be thrown at me, they him me right in the face. When they did this, I inhaled. They smelled just like her…_

"_Nice hands," Miley joked and laughed._

"_Thanks for that." I smiled. "And thanks for the pajamas."_

"_Sure thing, clumsy." Miley smirked._

_I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Be right back." _

_I walked out the door, down the hall, and back to the bathroom. I went in, and closed and locked the door behind me._

_!!_

_**MILEY'S POV**_

_Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my FREAKING gosh!_

_I, Miley Stewart, have a crush on Lilly Truscott! It's all so clear now! I was jealous of Lilly and Oliver because I liked Lilly, not because I felt left out. I didn't want them to date because I wanted to date Lilly, not because I felt like I was losing my best friends. I slept with Jake in a desperate attempt to make Lilly jealous! Why? Because I like her! I have been acting like a fool since she got here because I'm nervous around her. Now that I'm admitting it to myself, it all makes so much more sense!_

_The way I get nervous when I see her. The way she makes me smile and laugh. The way she is the only person who can make me feel like I am worth something. That's what I like about her. That's why I have a crush on her._

_Oh God! I just remembered….she's here! In my house! In my bathroom…changing! Into my clothes!_

_When I thought of that, I smiled._

_Then I heard the sound of a door opening and closing. I know it's the bathroom door, because it squeaked. Next footsteps. Oh, no! Here she comes. 3,2,1..._

_My door opened and Lilly walked in. Her blonde hair fell onto her shoulders. My pajama pants were a little big on her and slipped down a little on her perfect hips. But her shirt fit nicely. It, unlike the pants, were actually a bit more snug on her than it was on me. But that was because she has a bigger chest than me. Not that I noticed, or anything. However, Lilly did notice me checking her out._

"_What are you staring at?" Lilly asked, looking down at herself to make sure nothing was wrong._

_Oh, Lilly. Don't worry. Nothing could be wrong on your body_, I thought.

"Uh nothing," I said quickly and smiled. "It's just that those pajamas look really good on you."

"Oh." She blushed and pulled the pants up a little bit.

_No! I like them there_, I thought/pleaded to myself.

She came over and sat across from me on my bed. I had the urge to crawl over and sit in her lap.

Okay, I know I just started admitting to having feelings for Lilly, but I know these aren't new feelings. This is just the first time I realize that I have them. And I accept them. So, I'm not going to fight them. I'm going to let them flow. But, I can't physically give-in to them. I can, however, give-in to them mentally…

"So, what's the nine-one-one?" She asked, looking concerned. "Why did you call me, crying, and ask me to come over?"

I took a deep breath. I'd hoped we'd forgotten about that and we could just have a normal sleepover. "Oh…that," I said, hesitating. Gosh, Lilly was going to be so disgusted by me when I told her.

"Yes, Miley. That." Her eyes were glued on mine. "Just tell me what's wrong."

Guess I should get this over with. Goodbye, Lilly. You're going to hate me after this.

"Jake…Jake and I…" Maybe I could come out with this slowly. "Jake and I are kind of back together," I blurted. Studying Lilly's face, I saw disappointment in her eyes She frowned and knit her eyebrows together.

"That's it?! That's why you called me crying?!" She half-screamed. "You said you made a mistake, but it's not a hard one to correct!"

"Well, actually…" Here we go again! "It's kind of hard, impossible really, to correct."

"How so?" she leaned forward, listening.

"The way we got together," I mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" Lilly looked even more worried now. "What did you do, Miles?"

"I did something really bad, Lilly," I whispered, holding back tears. I can't do this. It's too hard.

"What did you do?" she repeated the question.

Biting my lip to prevent myself from crying, dropped my gaze from hers. "I-I-I slept with him," I sobbed, letting the tears come. Lilly gasped.

"You did what?!" She yelled. I looked up at her. So many emotions were there. Hurt, worry, concern, fear, a little disgust (which I expected to be the main emotion), and love…Wait? Love? Why? After the way I acted, I don't deserve to be loved by such an amazing person. And yet, she loved me. I could see it in her eyes. She really did care about me. And this fact, which should have made me so happy, overwhelmed me with grief. I had hurt her. I slept with Jake to hurt her. I just wish I could take it back.

I couldn't speak. I simply nodded my head as tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Oh, Miles!" Lilly scooted closer and wrapped her arms around me. I collapse in them and cry. I'm surprised my eyes could produce that many tears in one night, but they did. And as they kept falling, Lilly kept holding me. She rubbed my back again. I cried and cried until I started to gag. When this started happening, I knew I had to stop the waterworks. It was time to talk again.

"Tell me what happened, hun." Lilly said quietly. Wait, did she just call me hun? She did! Cool!

"Well…I called him and told him to come over." I sighed. This was going to be tough. "And I told him that it was for one reason. He came running." I paused and made a face. "When he got here, I took him up to my room, and well…you can figure out the rest."

I was avoiding her eyes, so I looked down. That's when I noticed…I was sitting on Lilly. Oh shit! I was sitting in Lilly's lap! I hoped I wasn't too heavy or making her uncomfortable, because I loved being this close to her.

"Uh…" I could tell she was far from comfortable just by the tone in her voice. "In this bed?" She asked. Woah that was close. She was concerned about hygiene, it had nothing to do with our current seating arrangement.

"Don't worry. I changed the sheets before you got here," I assured her with a small smile. She looked relieved and her body relax a little.

"Oh alright." Lilly said. I assumed we were done talking, so I snuggled into her once again. I was so happy she was letting me do this and wasn't getting freaked out. Then again, she had no idea I liked her. As far as she knew, I was completely straight. I mean, I just slept with Jake! Anyone who knew that would think I was straight….But I like her way too much to be. So, giving into my feelings, I rested my head on her shoulder and closed my eyes, glad to be done talking about my stupidity and enjoying being close to her. But, Lilly didn't let me enjoy it for too long. To her, the conversation was not over. "Miles?"

"Huh?" I tried my best to suppress a whine.

"Did you use…_protection_?" She emphasized the last word.

"Oh." I picked my head up and looked at her. Concern was still showing on her beautiful face. "Yeah. Jake stopped and bought a condom before coming."

"Did you get rid of it?" She bit her lip. She's nervous. Too cute! "You know, so your dad won't find it or anything."

"Don't worry, Lils. I burned the damn thing on the beach after my shower that I took to get his germs off."

"Right. Good idea."

We sat in silence for a while. I noticed that her hand was still on my back. I loved that!

"Why did you do it, Miles?" She asked. Her question caught me off guard. I had hoped she wouldn't ask that. And I hadn't expected her to.

"Well…uh…it's kind of stupid." I gulped.

"Come on. You know you can tell me anything." she persuaded. I sighed. Guess I have to tell her…

" I was jealous." Tears formed in my eyes again and began to fall. Damn them! I didn't want to cry anymore!

Lilly looked confused. Uh oh! "Jealous of what?"

"Of you and Oliver." No! I can't tell her that! Why did I say that?! She can't find out I like her. Please, God don't let me tell her!

"Why would you be jealous of that?" She looked at me with her big beautiful blue eyes. I'm caving. God, don't let me cave!

"I, well…You guys spend a lot of time together. You leave me out." Woah! Where did that come from?! Oh who cared! It sounded good. "I just felt so neglected and unloved. I wanted to feel loved." Not entirely true, but it seems like it's working…

"Miley, I-I'm sorry." Lilly frowned. "I had no idea! This is all my fault!" There were tears in her eyes. Oh, no! Don't cry, gorgeous!

"Lils, don't cry. Don't blame yourself, either. This is my fault. No one else's. I did this, not you!" I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her. She returned it and held me tight by my waist.

"I'm gonna make it up to you, okay?" Lilly said in my ear.

"You don't have to," I said, but I didn't mean it. Truth is, I really wanted to see how she would 'make it up' to me.

"No, I want to." That makes two of us. "So, I'm spending the night over here and tomorrow is Miley/Lilly day." Wow! We hadn't had any real Miley/Lilly time in a while, and now we're having a whole day?!

"Alright, sounds perfect." I said smiled.

_Perfect, just like you_, I thought.

!!

**Alrighty that's it for now. I will update**__**soon. Thanks for the reviews! It means a lot. Don't quit, keep it up, guys! You rock!**


	5. Lilly's Nightmare

Alright so sorry it took me a while to update, but it took me about 3 days to write this chapter and a long time to type.

I don't own Hannah Montana.

--

**Lilly's POV**

I spent the night at Miley's house. After she dropped the Jake shocker, my head couldn't stop spinning. There were so many questions and thoughts trying to go through all at once.

Why would she do that? What was she thinking? How could she take such a big risk? How could she be so irresponsible?…To name a few.

But there was something else bugging me…Why him?! Why Jake?! He didn't deserve her. No way in hell did he deserve someone so smart, funny, talented, caring, sweet, beautiful, or special! She was way too good for him! And she should not have let him back into her life. God why did it have to be him? Why couldn't it have been anyone else? Why couldn't it have been me?

Uh….do me a favor and pretend like you didn't see that, K? Thanks.

I rubbed my eyes. Clearly I wasn't thinking straight at the moment.

"Lilly, are you tired?" Miley asked me.

"No," I lied.

"But you just rubbed your eyes," she pointed out.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," I said with a smirk. "I just rubbed my eyes. It doesn't mean anything."

"You always do that when you're tired, though." She frowned.

"Well I'm not." As soon as those words came out of my mouth, a huge yawn did too. Damn. I was caught. And I so wasn't ready to go to bed yet!

"Come on, Sleepy. Time to go night night." Miley teased with a laugh-that wonderful, musical laugh- and took my hand to pull me over to the bed.

Oh no, she wasn't going to get me to go to sleep that easily. I planted my feet firmly on the ground and leaned backwards so she couldn't pull me.

"Lilly," she sighed. "Not now. Not tonight."

I stayed in my position and frowned at her. No, I did not want to go to sleep. I did not want to have that nightmare again. I have had it every single night since my parents got divorced.

"Lilly, look. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. No one is," Miley said softly, referring to my reoccurring nightmare.

It all started when my dad took off. I began having dreams that everyone I knew left. It would start off with Oliver, and then, for some strange reason, Miley's dad. It would just keep going from there. The last one to leave was always Miley. It was always at the part where we were discussing something. There was never any sound at this point. I could only ever see our lips moving. Anyway, I would tell her something, and she would get this disgusted look on her face. Then she would back up slowly. I would reach out to her, tears in my eyes, and she would turn and run. I would go to follow her, but stumble. And then, when my face was just inches from the ground, I would wake up screaming. I always wondered what I would say to her in my dreams to make her run away like that. Just thinking about it made me shiver.

Suddenly, I felt something pushing on my back, jerking me from my thoughts. I look in front of me. Miley isn't there. I look down at my hand. She isn't pulling on my hand, either. Then I feel another push and I stumble forward a step. Shit. Leave it to Miley to pick the one moment I stare off into space and take advantage of it to get me to go to sleep.

But I'm not giving up the fight easily. I go limp, and let myself fall to the floor. The only way she's getting me into bed is if she drags me. And she's not strong enough. Haha.

"Lilly…" Miley sighed. "Come on, I'm tired and I know you are, too."

"Die," I say, looking up at her.

"I will get you in that bed!" She frowned at me.

"Die twice." I smirked at her, joking. I didn't really want her to die. I didn't want anyone to die. I couldn't handle loosing someone I care about again.

"You big baby," Miley grumbled.

I smiled to myself, thinking I'd won. I laid there, content. But then I felt like I was moving. And the floor wasn't directly under me anymore. I was being lifted! Why was I being lifted?! I guess Miley's stronger than I thought. But there was no way I was going down without a fight.

I kicked and flayed my arms as much as I possibly could. We were getting to the bed fast. Boy, Miley was determined! I wiggled until my feet finally hit the ground and I was able to stop her.

"Lilly!" Miley said, sounding frustrated.

"Miley!" I said, mimicking her, and just as frustrated.

We continued to struggle. Somehow, she was able to push me up to the bed, but not onto it. I knew it was only a matter of time before she succeeded at that, though. So, at a last desperate attempt at victory, I did the only thing I could think of doing. I tickled her.

"Lils, stop!" Miley giggled, gasped, and tried to grab my hands I pulled them out of her reach.

"Stop what?" I asked innocently and poked her in the sides.

"T-that's not f-fair!" She said in between giggles.

"I don't care," I said as I went to poke her again. But this time, she was ready. She grabbed my hands and smirked at me. "Uh oh," I said, dumbstruck.

"Uh oh is right." She smiled and leaned into me, trying to push me down. But I tried to get her to back up. However, she wasn't letting me get away with it. She wasn't going to let up. So, I simply let my body go limp again. I expected to slip out of her grasp and fall to the floor, but that didn't happen.

Instead, Miley pushed me too hard and we both stumbled (me backwards, her forwards). I landed on my back on the bed, She landed on top of me. Her hair was the only thing I could see. Inhaling, I noticed she smelled so nice. Then, she turned her face to look at me. Hers was only inches from my own. She looked into my eyes. Hers were so beautiful and full of confusion. She looked so torn about something, and I saw her slowly moving her head towards mine. I could swear she was going to kiss me, but then, she pulled her head back and got off of me very quickly. I instantly felt cold from the loss of body heat.

"So…uh." She cleared her throat. "I win."

I chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, you win, Miles."

She smiled and climbed onto the bed again. I noticed that her cheeks were a little flushed. I rearranged myself so that I was lying correctly and that my head was on the pillow. I propped myself up on my elbow and looked at her. "So what would you like to do on Miley/Lilly day?" I asked her.

"Uh I don't know." She paused to think. "Want to go check out the shops on Skyway Avenue?"

I smiled. Skyway Avenue was an old street that recently got cleared out and made into a strip mall. They kept the name. "Sure. Sounds great. Maybe we could go to the beach after?"

"Yeah." She said. "Maybe you can teach me how to surf," she added with a laugh.

Ha, Miley surfing? Yeah right, Wait…surfing, tomorrow, surfing, tomorrow…Oliver! We had made plans! I couldn't just blow him off, but I couldn't leave Miley. She needed me!

"Oh no…" I groaned, slapping myself in the forehead.

"What?" Miley asked, concerned.

"I was supposed to go surfing with Oliver tomorrow." I sighed. Oh great. Here we go again with the jealously.

"Oh." She looked down sadly. "I guess we can have Miley/Lilly day some other day, then."

Awe! She was willing to reschedule so I could go out with Oliver. If she was willing to do that for me, I could give up a date for her. I just couldn't turn her down.

"No, Miles. We are having Miley/Lilly day tomorrow." I said.

She looked up, shocked. "But what about your date with Oliver?"

"I'll tell him we will have to go some other time." I smiled. "Because nothing can keep me from my best friend when she's in need." Cheesy line, but who cares? I needed to let her know that I was there for her no matter what. Oliver or no Oliver.

She smiled. "Thanks, Lilly."

I picked up my cell and started dialing Oliver's number.

"What are you doing?" Miley questioned.

"Calling Oliver to cancel that date." I said as if it were obvious. "What else would I be doing? Ordering a pizza?"

"Well…It's like 2:30 in the morning," she stated.

I checked the clock. It was not 2:30. It was 2:27. I couldn't stand it when people rounded the time! It was not 2:30! It was 2:27...Now 2:28. Gosh, get the time right, people!

"It's 2:28," I corrected her. "And I'm sure he's awake. He usually doesn't get to sleep until almost four."

"How do you know?" She asked.

"We text and instant message a lot," I said and finished dialing his number and hit the call button.

"Hello?" Oliver answered on the other line.

"Hey, Oliver," I said with a small smile.

"What's up, Lil?" He asked.

Ugh, I hated that statement. What's up? The ceiling, sky, clouds, sun…so plain, so boring, so ordinary, so annoying…Why did he have to ask that? He knew I hated it.

"Nothing much. I'm just at Miley's right now." I answered as sweetly as possible.

"Oh. So you two made up?"

"We sure did."

"Cool." He paused. "So why are you calling to late?"

"Well I kind of have to talk to you about tomorrow." I cleared my throat.

"What about it?" He sounded a little worried.

"I can't go surfing with you tomorrow. Miley and I need to spend time together." I looked over at her.

_Please don't tell him_, she mouthed.

I nodded and continued. "We could always go surfing some other day."

He sighed. "Alright, Lilly. I understand." I could hear the disappointment in his voice. "You go have fun with Miley. I'll go surfing by myself."

"I'm sorry, Oliver." I really was.

"I know. It's okay." He hung up.

--

**Miley's POV**

As soon as Lilly hung up with Oliver, I threw my arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I exclaimed, hoping I wasn't crushing her.

"You're welcome," she said as she began to return the hug.

We stayed there for a few moments longer. I knew we would have to pull apart sooner or later, but there was no way I was going to be the first to do so. And I wasn't. Lilly pulled away first-so she could yawn.

I looked at her. "Ready to go to sleep…with no complaints?"

"Fine," she grumbled.

We climbed under the covers and got comfortable. My mind was racing and my heart was pounding. Here I was, lying in bed with a girl I had a crush on. I'm a girl, too. This isn't supposed to happen. I'm not supposed to like her, but I do. And I want to. But she's my best friend. And she had a boyfriend. She was so close, yet so far.

I looked over at Lilly. She was already asleep. All that fighting, and she falls asleep like that! I looked at her carefully. Her face, which should have been peaceful, was frightened. That could only mean one thing: she was having the nightmare again. I sighed to myself scooted closer to her. I leaned over and moved a stray strand of her beautiful blonde hair from her face. Then, I stroked her cheek softly with the back of my hand. I knew I shouldn't have because there would have been no way of explaining it if she had woken up, but I just couldn't fight the urge to touch her in some way. To my relief, she didn't wake up. Instead, her frown turned into a smile, and she no longer looked scared. She looked peaceful and happy. I smiled, too. Then, Lilly turned over and rolled closer to me, her arm draping across my waist, and she cuddled up to my body. I should have moved her arm and scooted away from her, but I didn't. I liked our current position. _Really_ liked it. So, I put my arm around her, closed my eyes, and drifted into sleep, holding on the one I was pretty sure I was in love with.

--

**Lilly's POV**

My nightmare changed that night…It actually turned into a dream. It started out like it normally does: Oliver leaving. Then it continued with everyone else. Finally, it got to Miley. That's when it changed. I told her something, like always. I still couldn't hear what I said to her. That stuff was all normal. What changed was Miley's reaction. She didn't run away with a disgusted face. She smiled, instead. Then, she motioned for me to go to her. As I started to walk forward, however, I stumbled (like I normally do). I saw the ground coming fast, but instead of waking up, I stayed asleep, because I didn't hit the ground. I actually seemed to be frozen in midair. I looked up to see the cause of this to find Miley smiling down at me. She had caught me when I stumbled, just like I'd caught her when I arrived at her house. And she was holding me protectively in her arms.

It was the best dream I'd had in a long time. And as I laid awake in Miley's bed, eyes still closed, I realized it was the first time in months that I hadn't woken up screaming. And I wasn't ready to wake up yet. I was so comfortable and warm. Usually I was freezing when I woke up, but not this morning.

Wait, why was I so warm? And why didn't I have my nightmare?

I opened my clear blue eyes slowly. Lifting my head up a little, I realized that my arm was wrapped around Miley's waist. I noticed that Miley's arm was wrapped around me as well. That's the way we must have slept. I shifted my gaze upwards to Miley's face. She stared back at me with her own big blue eyes. Her cheeks flushed.

"Sorry," she muttered, removing her arm and looking away.

"It's alright. No big deal," I said with a smile. It probably should have creeped me out that we slept like that, but it didn't. It actually made me feel good, safe.

--

**Miley's POV**

She totally caught me. She should have freaked out and jumped out of my bed as fast as she could. I'd expected her to. But, she didn't. She simply smiled and dropped it. Lilly's amazing like that.

She had also slept through the night without waking up and screaming bloody murder. Now that didn't make any sense. I hugged her all night long and she suddenly wasn't having anymore bad dreams. What was that about?

These thoughts flooded my head as I waited for Lilly to come out of the changing room. We were now shopping on Skyway Avenue after a large struggle of trying to get Lilly out of bed. I swear, that girl has problems. You can't get her to go to bed, and once you do, you can't get her up in the morning! But I finally got her up and now we were having a great time. I loved shopping with Lilly. She would always ask me how something looked on her. It's like she was giving me permission to check her out!

Jake hadn't called yet, but I didn't really care. I didn't want him to, anyway. I didn't care if I ever saw him again.

Lilly came out of the changing room wearing a pair of plaid shorts and a green top.

"What do you think?" Lilly asked, spinning slowly to give me a full view.

"Nice," I said, my eyes running over her body. They lingered longer on her chest. I smiled. That top was perfectly snug. Then, she turned and my eyes went to her ass. Oh. My. Gosh. "Very nice," I breathed out.

She turned back to me. "You okay, Miles?"

"Huh?" I shook my head, coming to. "Yeah. Fine."

--

**Lilly's POV**

Miley and I had finished shopping and were about to head home when my cell started ringing.

"Oh, hold on, Miley," I said, stopping to answer it and having to dig in my purse to find it.

She nodded.

I found it and looked at the caller I.D. It was Oliver's house number.

_Why isn't he using his cell phone_, I wondered.

"Hey, Oliver. Why are you using your house phone? Is something wrong with your cell?" I asked into the phone.

The voice on the other end was not Oliver's.

"Lilly," Mrs. Oken sobbed. "T-this isn't Oliver, honey."

"Mrs. Oken, what's wrong?" I asked, very frightened, Mrs. Oken never cried. She was tough as nails. She even had a special 'man voice' that she used when she was angry.

"Oliver," she started. "He-He…"

"He what, Mrs. Oken?!" I screamed into the phone.

"He's dead!" she screamed back and cried even harder on the other end.

I dropped my phone in shock. No. No, he could not be dead. But why would Mrs. Oken be crying, then? Then it sunk in. He was dead. Oliver Oscar Oken was gone. My best friend and boyfriend.

I fell to my knees and wrapped my arms around my torso. It felt like a huge hole was being ripped into me. I gasped for air, not being able to catch my breath.

"Lilly!" Miley exclaimed, dropping down to her knees beside me. "Lil, what's wrong? What happened?" I looked at her, tears stinging my eyes. She was very worried and scared.

I couldn't find my voice. But finally, I was able to choke out one word: "Oliver."

"What about him, Sweety?!" I looked away, but she grabbed my face in between her hands and made me look at her. "What is wrong with Oliver?!"

"He's dead!" I sobbed, finally allowing my tears to come. My whole body shook as I sobbed.

"No," Miley said. "Not Oli-" Her voice broke as she started crying, too."

I threw my arms around her and she did the same to me. By this time, a small crowd had started to gather. People were staring, but I didn't care. We needed each other more than anything at the moment.

So, there we stayed as the first part of my nightmare came true. Right in the middle of Skyway Avenue.

--

**A.N.: So I realized when I typed the last line that I could totally end the story there, but I am not going to. I have big plans for Lilly and Miley. So read and review. Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far!**


	6. Getting Over It

_**Thanks guys for the reviews. Sorry I left you hanging with the last chapter, but some questions will be answered in this one! **_

_**I am sure some of you noticed that I changed the rating from "T" to "M". Well I did this for more freedom. I realized that the situation with Jake could be blown out of proportion. Also, I don't want to have to worry about watching my language. So I changed the rating to make my life a little easier. Personally, I don't think this story is "M" but some might so I just wanted to cover my ass for the Jake thing and anything in the future. **_

_**I don't own Hannah Montana…If I did, Hannah's wig would have been burned by now. Haha. I hate that thing.**_

_OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG_

_**Miley's POV**_

_Three months have passed since Oliver's death. The story was he fell off his board while surfing and hit his head on a rock while he was being thrown about by the waves. He had been knocked unconscious and drowned. By the time his body was found by some random person on the beach, he had already been dead for two hours. That's really all Lilly and I heard about it. Most people knew we wouldn't want to talk about it, so they never brought it up. We never bothered to read about it in the paper, either. It hurt too much to think about it. Oh and Jake never called. But I didn't care. I hadn't wanted him to. That would have just added more pain to my life and I sure as hell did not need it._

_The accident had happened right before our last week of our sophomore year. Lilly and I skipped school the last few days. We didn't leave the house at all, actually. Except to go to Oliver's funeral, that is. I even canceled a few Hannah concerts. All we did was cry, mope, and mourn the loss of our best friend._

_However, it had been harder on Lilly than it had been on me. The blonde, who once loved surfing, had not been to the beach once all summer. She seemed like a zombie. She stayed curled up in bed all the time and hardly ever laughed or smiled. Her beautiful blue eyes, which once had so much life, were now dull. They were still the same color, but lacked that spark I loved so much. Even her amazing gold locks seemed to have lost some of their shine. _

_How can I get the old Lilly back_, I wondered as I walked up the steps to her house.

I opened Lilly's front door without knocking. I just let myself in. I was allowed to do this because Lilly's mom said I was like family.

I went straight to the kitchen. Heather Truscott was sitting at the table dressed for work, drinking coffee, and reading the newspaper.

_That's Lilly in about twenty years_, I thought to myself as I tiptoed into the room.

"Morning, Miley," she said, looking up from her paper with a small smile.

"How do you do that?" I asked, sitting at the table. We did this every morning. I would sneak in, and she would catch me.

"I could smell your perfume the moment you came through the door. Not that I mind, it smells good." She scrunched up her nose the same cute way Lilly does when she smells something she liked. "But seriously, what did you, pour the whole bottle on yourself?"

"Maybe," I mumbled, blushing. Guess I had gone overboard with the perfume. But hey, it was Lilly's favorite scent and I wanted to smell good for her.

Mrs. Truscott laughed and put her hand on my shoulder. "Take it easy next time. K, kiddo?"

I sighed and nodded, wanting to change the subject. I asked, "How's Lilly doing at night?" My daddy had stopped letting us have sleepovers every night. He thought it was better if we spent some time apart.

Mrs. Truscott's smile vanished and it was replaced by a deeply worried frown. She removed her hand from my shoulder. "Not good."

"She's still having the nightmare?" I said, knowing.

"It's gotten worse." Heather stared out the kitchen window. "She's not just screaming anymore. Now she's crying, too. I simply don't know what to do about it."

"She's going to be okay. Things will get better." I gave her a sympathetic smile, but she didn't see because she was still staring out the window.

"I have to go. I'm late for work." Heather said after a few minutes of silence. She got up from the table, wiping a few tears from her eyes and probably hoping I wouldn't notice them as she went to the door. Right before she opened it, she turned to me with a small smirk on her face. "Take care of my baby." And with a wink, she was gone.

I stared after her, mouth hanging open slightly. What was that about? Why did she wink? Did she know something? She couldn't. They say a mother always knows, but she wasn't my mother. My mother had been dead for several years. So did that mean Lilly….Nah. Couldn't be.

I shook my head and stood up. I climbed the stairs to Lilly's room, still pondering. The door was open a smidge and the lights were off. I slipped inside quietly, not wanting to wake her if she was sleeping peacefully for a change. Slowly, I climbed into the bed beside her.

"Hi, Miley," she mumbled, turning over to face me.

"How come everyone in your family does that?" I laughed, resting my head on the pillow and looking at her.

"Does what?" She asked, a little confused.

"Know when I arrive even id I don't make any noise." It was true. Her whole family did do it. Her brother had been visiting the week before (he normally lived with him and Lilly's dad in Texas), and he had done it too! I had poked my head in his room to say hi and he told me to go away before I could even open my mouth. He didn't look up from his video game, either. And he said my name!

"_Go away, Miley."_ was what he'd said.

"Well I smelled you." Even in the dark, I could see her scrunching up her nose just like her mother had done earlier. It was so much cuter when Lilly did it, though.

"It's not that bad, is it?" I asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious. What if I put so much that I repelled Lilly instead of attracted her?

"No it's fine." She smiled in the dark. That made me happy. Smiles were rare for Lilly recently. "I like it. I will have the smell of you on my sheets for days."

At this comment, I blushed and was thankful it was too dark for Lilly to see. I wondered if she smelled her sheets and pillows obsessively like I did when she'd sleep at my house. I doubted it.

"So what bring you here so early?" Lilly asked, yawning. She reached over and turned the lamp on her beside table on. It took a few moments for our eyes to adjust to the light.

"School schedules came in the mail today." I said. "I wanted to compare classes."

My blonde friend groaned. "I am so not ready for school."

I reached over and put my hand on hers. "Hey, it'll be okay."

"Not without Oliver," she said, looking down and pulling her hand away.

"Yes it will. Come on, Lils. It's been three months." I sighed. "Don't you think it's time to start moving on?"

"And pretend like he never existed?" She scowled.

"No. That's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying you can't hold onto him forever." I sat up and looked into her eyes. "You need to let yourself at least try to be happy."

"I lost my best friend." Her gaze shot daggers at me.

"So did I." I swallowed. "And I am not about to lose my other one because all she wants to do is hold onto the fucking past! So, I'm going to help you get over this and get on with your life whether you want to or not. Now get up and get your cute little ass dressed. I'm going get the mail. And when I come back, you better be willing to compromise."

I got up out of the bed and left the room, not even looking back to see the stunned look on Lilly's stunningly beautiful face. I knew my words had hurt her. I'd meant for them to. I hated being mean to her, but something in the way she was looking at me just made me snap.

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

**LILLY'S POV**

I sat there in my bed, too shocked to move. Miley's words had hit me hard. She was never that forceful. She had always been so patient with me. But I guess her patience was running thin these days. I'd really upset her. I saw it on her face.

So, not wanting to upset her anymore, I regained control of my limbs and stumbled out of the bed. I went over to my closet and looked through my clothes. I didn't feel like dressing up much, so I chose a pair of jeans and selected my Maroon 5 t-shirt to go with them. It was my favorite and always made me feel better.

I stripped off my pajama pants and pulled the jeans on. Then I took my shirt off. I decided to keep my sports bra on instead of changing into a regular one. Then I picked my shirt up and looked at it, trying to remember why it was my favorite. I had gotten it at the Maroon 5 concert I had gone to about a year before.

Oh no. I had gone with Oliver. It was the day we had gotten our asses glued to those damn chairs. That had been Oliver's fault. After Miley had called and told us she couldn't come, we just collapsed on her floor. A little while later, I got up and got the nail polish remover from her room (leaving the idiot in the kitchen). We got unstuck and headed over to the concert, making it just in time. After Maroon 5 finished playing, we went to buy souvenirs. I didn't have enough money for the shirts, so Oliver used his Mom's credit card and bought it for me.

Remembering this, I hugged the shirt to me. "Oliver," I said as tears started to roll down my cheeks. I fell to the floor, still holding the shirt and me still in my bra. I cried and my body shook.

Then a shadow fell over me. I looked up and saw Miley standing there, an envelope in her hand, and confusion showing on her face. I couldn't blame her for being confused. I mean can you picture what I looked like at that moment?! Crying on the floor, with nothing but my sports bra on the upper part of my body, hugging some concert t-shirt to me for dear life.

"O-Oliver bought this for m-me when we w-went see M-Maroon 5," I explained, wiping some tears from my eyes.

I expected her to get mad and start yelling at me again, but she didn't. Instead, her features softened and a look of understanding replaced the one of confusion. She nodded with a small smile and sat on the ground beside me, cross-legged. I looked at her. Now I was confused.

"What are you-" I was cut off by Miley putting her finger to my lips.

She pulled her finger away and opened her arms. I just starred at her blankly. She patted her lap and opened her arms again. Guess she wanted me to sit on her. So I crawled over to her and sat in her lap. Miley wrapped her arms around me protectively. Her warm body felt good against my cold, bare skin. I cuddled into her and put my head on her shoulder, tears still falling from my eyes. I turned my head and buried my face in her neck. It felt so good being there with her. I never wanted it to end. She always made me feel so much better.

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**Miley's POV**

I sat there, holding Lilly in my lap. I rubbed her back like she did to me to make me calm down. It seemed to be working. And it was so awesome being able to touch her when she didn't have her shirt on! I mean shit, she was in her sports bra! And damn, did she look good! Hell with the way we were sitting, I could even see down the bra if I turned my head at a certain angle.

Okay, I know I've become a total perve when it comes to Lilly, but I can't help it. Lilly's kind of irresistible. And I was touching her while she wasn't wearing a shirt! I know what you may be thinking. And the answer is no, I was not taking advantage of Lilly's break down just so I could touch her when she was partially naked. That was just a perk. And boy, was I in heaven!

Once she stopped crying, though, I knew I had to say something.

"You had to pick that shirt, huh?" I asked, still rubbing her back.

She picked up her head and looked at me. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I just picked out my favorite shirt because it usually makes me feel better."

"I know, hun." I smiled. "It's okay."

"What I don't get is why you aren't yelling at me," she said with a frown.

"I shouldn't have snapped at you before." I sighed. "The way you were looking at me just made me so angry."

"Yeah. We're kind of both at fault," she admitted.

There was a moment of silence.

"Why is it so hard for you to let it go, Lils?" I looked at her.

"I feel guilty. I mean, if I had just gone with him I could have pulled him out or done something!" she said, standing up.

"Lilly, it was an accident," I said, also standing up. "These things happen."

"I know." She looked down. "But that's not the only reason I feel guilty," she mumbled.

Woah. I didn't expect that one. "Why else do you feel guilty?"

"Because I think I liked someone else while I was dating him," she said so quietly had to strain to hear her.

"Do-Do you still like this person?" I asked, jealousy bubbling inside of me.

She shrugged. "I don't know if I like them or not. I know I shouldn't." She looked out of the window. "But I think I do… a lot."

_Who?!_, I wanted to scream at her.

"Well, maybe you should try dating them." I didn't mean that.

"I can't. Why should I be happy? Oliver can't be happy anymore," she said, her voice shaking.

I went over to her and put my hands on her shoulders. She looked at me, tears forming in her enticing blue eyes again. "Lils, Oliver would want you to be happy. He wouldn't want you to be miserable like you are now. He would want you to move on and find someone to make you happy, because he was just a great guy like that."

She nodded, a few tears falling.

"He would want you to be true to yourself," I continued. "He would want you to get back out there and start dating again."

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**Lilly's POV**

Everything Miley said was true. Oliver wouldn't want me to do what I was doing. He would want me to go on with my life and date someone else. But I knew he wouldn't want me to want who I wanted…Well that was confusing.

"But this person I like…I have no chance with them." I sighed. "They will never return my feelings."

"Don't be silly. Any guy would jump at the chance to date you." Miley put on a smile. It looked kind of fake.

_But what if it's not a guy_, I thought to myself.

"Don't be so sure," I said so low that Miley couldn't hear me.

I didn't like some guy. I liked Miley. I liked her a lot. That's why I saw her face when I kissed Oliver. It's the reason I rushed over so quickly when she called me the night she had sex with Jake. It was also the reason I hated him as much as I did. She had chosen him. The result: jealousy. And he had hurt her so much so many times. The result: anger.

I knew Oliver wanted me to be happy, but I also knew he was a homophobe and wouldn't want me to be with Miley. He wouldn't want me to be _that_ kind of happy. Even if we were his best friends and he didn't want us miserable. He hated gay people. That's why I felt so guilty.

But it was hard _not_ to like Miley. She was always there for me when I needed her. She did so much for me and I knew I would do anything for her in return. She drove me crazy. The way she looked, sang, and everything else she did. It was all so beautiful.

"Uh, Lils?" Miley asked, jerking me from my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I asked, looking at her.

"Are you planning on staying topless all day, or would you like to put a shirt on now?" She asked with a smirk.

"Oh God!" I exclaimed, trying to cover myself while blushing furiously.

Miley chuckled. "Here," she said, throwing me my shirt.

I caught it and pulled it over my head quickly, my cheeks still hot.

"Don't be so embarrassed. It's not like I haven't seen you without a shirt thousands of times before," she pointed out. "Plus, we _did_ have P.E. together last year and the year before that. We had to change in front of a whole class of girls."

I nodded. That was true.

"Speaking of school…" She held out the envelope she had been holding earlier. "Let's see what classes we have together."

I took the envelope from her hand and ripped the damn thing open (I hate school so much). I took the schedule out. Miley pulled her own schedule from her pocket and held it out next to mine. She was so close. I could smell her intoxicating perfume really well…

"Cool!" she exclaimed with a huge grin. "We have 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th together!"

"Not to mention lunch!" I added. Lunch was my favorite.

"You and your food!" She rolled her eyes with a small laugh.

I laughed, too. "Hey, a girl's got to eat!"

We laughed again.

"See." She flashed me one of her heart melting smiles. "Maybe this year won't be so bad."

_Yeah maybe for you it won't be bad_, I thought. _You don't have a crush on your best friend!_

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**So Lilly likes Miley?! Wow…Should be interesting to see how this plays out! Review, please!**


	7. 11th Grade

**Alright so thanks for all the reviews. I hope you stay patient with the "Liley" stuff. All I can say is…soon? K?**

**Special thanks to lileyficlover92 because when we were talking, she totally gave me an idea and I put it in here. So when it gets to something about High School Musical…That's where our conversation comes in. Lol.**

**I own nothing.**

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**-Lilly's POV-**

It was finally the first day of school. A week had passed since the Maroon 5 t-shirt and sports bra incident. Nothing had really happened since then. I worked on getting over Oliver's death more. It helped having Miley with me almost twenty-four/seven to keep my mind off of it. She had started sleeping at my house night after night, much to her dad's annoyance. But after Miley blowing up in his face-and my mom talking to him- he finally agreed to letting us have sleepovers again. Silly man thinking we spent too much time together. We were hardly ever apart, and it didn't even feel like enough time. A lifetime with Miley wouldn't come close to being enough time.

Maybe I felt like that because I hadn't seen her since last night. Mr. Stewart hadn't let her sleep over since it was a school night. And hell was I tired! That might have something to do with the fact that my nightmare came back. It went away for a week-the week Miley stayed over. Every night, we slept like we did the first time my nightmare didn't show up. The only difference was the first night had been an accident. Now I was making sure I was touching that wonderful girl all the time. And Miley didn't seem to mind, either.

So there I was, driving to Miley's house, with dark circles under my eyes on my first day of 11th grade. I had gotten a car over the summer. My mom thought it would cheer me up. It wasn't anything special. A Pontiac Vibe-black. I kind of hated it. If you asked me, it looked like a midget station wagon(no offense to midgets, station wagons, or lovers of the Pontiac Vibe).

I turned the radio louder to wake myself up. A We The Kings song came on and I drummed along with the song on the steering wheel. We The Kings was a new band that I had heard a few months before and really liked. They had just started becoming big, though. Not fair. I liked them first. As soon as I find something cool and unique, other people have to swoop in and start liking it too. Fucking leeches. Suck the fun out of everything. Pretty soon We The Kings would be huge. Then after their songs were horribly over-played, people would get over them. Just like Boys Like Girls.

That's the fake fans I am talking about, though(I consider myself a hardcore fan). Fake fans are the ones that only like one fucking song from the band-the one played on the radio constantly. We The Kings's "hit" song was the one I was currently listening to. It was called "Check Yes Juliet."

I sang along to the lyrics(I knew them all by heart) and changed the name Juliet to Miley.

_Check yes, Miley_

_Are you with me?_

_Rain is falling down _

_On the sidewalk_

_I won't go_

_Until you come outside_

I pulled up to Miley's house and texted her telling her that I was waiting outside. I didn't feel like going inside. Mr. Stewart hadn't been very kind to me lately. And I couldn't figure out why.

I shrugged and continued to sing along with the song.

_Check yes, Miley_

_Kill the limbo_

_I'll keep tossing rocks_

_At your window_

_There's no turning back_

_For us tonight_

I saw Miley open her door, waving goodbye to someone. Her dad probably. Then she started making her way towards the car.

_Lace up your shoes_

_A O A O ah_

_Here's how we do_

She got in the car and closed the door. Then she looked at me, smiled, and started singing along in her magnificent voice.

_Run baby, run!_

_Don't ever look back_

_They'll tear us apart_

_If you give them the chance_

_Don't sell your heart,_

_Don't say_

_We're not_

_Meant to be_

_Run baby, run!_

_Forever will be_

_You and me._

I lowered the volume to a normal level and turned to her.

"I didn't know you liked that song," I said.

"Everyone likes that song." She shrugged and put her seatbelt on.

_Damn it! I told you!_

"I liked it first," I grumbled under my breath and started the car.

"You and your quest to be different!" Miley laughed and poked me in the side.

"Eep!" I squeaked. "Hey! No poking the driver!"

"Oh sorry!" She smiled and ran her hand over the dashboard of my car. "So how is Franny today?"

"One- its name is not Franny. Two- quit trying to name it. And three- that is the worst name you have come up with so far!" I smirked. She had been trying to name my car since before I even got it. But I wasn't going to let her. It was my car. My piece of shit. If anyone was going to name the damn thing, it was going to be me.

"Oh come on, Lils." Miley rolled her eyes. "Why won't you name her?"

"Because it is stupid to name cars," I said.

"This coming from the girl who named her cell phone Miranda." She laughed.

"Hey that was different," I said defensively.

"How?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Well…I talk on it." Wow. Lame.

"Amp!" She said, sounding like a buzzer. "Wrong answer!"

"Fine! Name the car! Just don't make it anything stupid." Oh shit I caved.

"Yes!" She pumped her fists in the air.

After that, she was silent.

"What, no name, Miles?" I asked, surprised.

"I'm thinking of the perfect name." She frowned.

"You would randomly blurt out names before and now that I am actually letting you name it, you can't think of a name?!" I laughed. "Hell, Miley. You named a mouse off the top of your head!"

"You leave Linda out of this." She pouted.

I snorted. Wow. Crazy child.

--

I pulled into the school parking lot and found a spot at the far end of it. I cut the engine and got out, bringing my book bag with me. Miley got out, too. We met at the front of my car. She made me face my car and put her arm around my shoulder. My heart started beating faster. She didn't notice, luckily.

"Lilly," she said, "meet Peggy, your car."

"Peggy?" I frowned. "Who names their car Peggy?"

"Who names their phone Miranda?" She countered.

"Touché." Okay, I'll let her have that one.

"Oh come on! It's _unique_." She tightened her arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to her. I loved that. And damn her for knowing how much I liked being different!

"Fine." I laughed. "Peggy it is."

"Good." She took her arm off of my shoulder. _No!_ "Now let's get to class, shall we?" She put out her arm for me to link with mine.

I smiled and did just that.

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**-MILEY'S POV-**

Lilly and I started walking out of the parking lot arm-in-arm. We passed by a lot of normal-looking cars. Nothing that really stood out. They all blended in. Then I saw something that really caught my attention: A silver, convertible corvette.

I only knew of one person who owned that kind of car and was in our age group. My ex-boyfriend, Jake Ryan.

I stopped a few feet away from it and just stared at it with wide eyes.

"What? What's wrong?" Lilly asked, looking concerned.

I didn't answer, simply pointed a shaky finger at the expensive, silver car.

She gasped when she saw it. "Oh no!"

"Oh yeah," I said hoarsely.

"Well maybe it's not his." Her voice sounded depressed and hopeful at the same time. I didn't think that was possible.

_Bull! Of course it's his_, I thought.

"Some rich Malibu kid could have gotten one over the summer," she said.

We took a few steps closer. I looked at the license plate.

_J-Ryan_

"Still think it's not his?" I asked dully.

"No." Lilly gulped.

A sudden, brilliant idea hit me. "Hey Lils, can I borrow your keys for a sec?" I smiled mischievously.

"Oh no, Miley. As much as we both want to, we cannot key his car!" She said, reading my mind. She even put her keys in her pocket to show that she meant it.

I stared at her blankly for a few seconds to pretend like I didn't know what she was talking about. Then I gave up and sighed.

"Damn." I frowned and crossed my arms.

Lilly laughed. "Come on, Miles. Revenge can wait until after homeroom." She pulled at my arm.

"Fine." I sighed again and followed her out of the parking lot.

We went to our lockers and then first period. Walking into the room, I instantly knew something was wrong. There was a large group of people gathered in a certain area of the room. And I could hear a familiar, arrogant voice telling some lame story from the center of the students.

Lilly and I exchanged a look. "Jake," we said in unison.

"Someone say my name?" The arrogant voice called out. The group of students parted and there he was-Jake. He had a stupid grin on his face.

Taking a good look at him, I couldn't remember what I ever saw in him. He had dirty blonde hair-which was dirty in more than one way. It was so stringy and oily! And then there was his eyebrows. They were so bushy! And not to mention that smile! He looked like a fucking horse when he smiled.

"That would be us," Lilly said, pointing to herself and me to answer Jake's question.

His face fell when he saw me. "Oh," he said and turned around in his desk.

Now that pissed me off! He was _not_ going to ignore me!

I started to walk over to his desk, but Lilly grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

I looked at her. "Lilly, let go."

"No, Miles." Her eyes were locked on mine.

"Lils, I'll be fine." I smiled to show her it was okay. "I'm just going to ask him if we could talk later."

"Miley…" She didn't look convinced.

"Trust me on this one." And with that, I slid my hand from her grip and went over to Jake.

His eyes were glued to his desk.

"Hey, Jake," I said casually.

"Hi," he mumbled in return.

"How have you been?" I asked, not really caring, just trying to make small talk. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Fine." He still hadn't looked up.

There was a small group of students staring, watching us. Lilly was one of them. They knew we'd dated, but only Lilly knew _everything_. And she was not happy that I was talking to him. I saw it on her face. There was so much anger there. And…_jealousy_?

I bent closer to Jake so he would be the only one who could hear me.

"Could we talk at lunch…alone?" I whispered in his ear.

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**-Lilly's POV-**

I was standing with a group of on-lookers, watching the girl I had a huge crush on talk to her ex-boyfriend. And it was killing me! He did not deserve to talk to her! And then there was the group of people watching. They were so annoying! They knew that the obnoxious actor and my dear friend had been in a previous relationship, but none of them knew what I knew. And I am pretty sure none of them were feeling what I was feeling at that point, either.

Then Miley bent down and whispered something in the asshole's ear. She was so close I was sure he could smell her perfume, the one I loved so much. Jealousy raged through my body as a few people went "Ooh!"

_No, you stupid shits! It's not what it looks like,_ I wanted to yell at them.

"Dude, you think he tapped that?" some guy named Rick whispered to his friend Fagan.

"Probably." Fagan snorted. "I mean, he's _Jake Ryan_!"

_Woop-Dee-Fucking-Do! He's Jake Ryan! We get it! That doesn't give him the right to be and ass! _I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. And how dare that say that about Miley! Even if it was true, No one talked about my girl like that, even if she wasn't _technically "_my" girl…

Jake glared at his desk and nodded. Miley nodded as well and turned, then started walking towards me. I couldn't let her hear what those guys were saying.

I looked at them and noticed that they were standing very close, their heads almost touching. Hmm…

"Hey look, everyone!" I yelled and pointed to Rick and Fagan. "Rick the Dick and Fagan the Faggot are sharing secrets! They must be in love!" I felt bad about the gay jokes, but drastic times called for drastic measures.

The whole room busted out laughing. The two boys took a few steps away from each other, their faces red. They both glared at me.

I grabbed Miley's arm and pulled her over to two empty seats on the other end of the room before they could say anything.

"What was that about?" Miley asked with a giggle, taking a seat.

"Oh nothing. I was just tired of them," I said, sitting down also.

"Oh, okay, Sure." She rolled her eyes. Damn. She knew I didn't attack without reason. Better change the subject quickly…

"So what did you say to Jake?" I asked, setting my backpack down beside my desk.

"Oh." She frowned. "I just told him I wanted to talk to him at lunch."

I nodded and was about to ask her what she wanted to talk to him about, but as soon as I opened my mouth, two large shadows fell upon my desktop. I looked up to see Rick and Fagan standing over me.

"Hey, assfuckers." I smiled sweetly. "How were your summers?"

"Cut the crap, Truscott," Rick said, flipping some of his long brown hair out of his blue eyes. He looked so much like Zac Efron, it scared me…and made me gag. Another reason to hate him.

"Yeah. Cut the crap," Fagan chimed in. He looked like Lucas Grabeel. His blonde hair was even styled the same way.

"Oh how cute. They repeat what the other one says." I looked over at Miley, who was cracking up laughing.

They shot her a look then looked back at me. Oh how I hated them so much more than I normally did at that precise moment. No one looked at Miley like that!

"We've had it with you." Rick leaned over my desk and lowered his voice. "And you're going to get it if you don't shut your fucking mouth."

"Yeah, so watch it, Truscott." Fagan leaned down as well. "Because next time, we might not be so merciful."

They both stood up and went to their desks. They sat side by side. It was so obvious that they were gay. I don't know how everyone else couldn't see it! I mean, come one! They always looked at each other and smiled, those lingering looks, too. I would always catch them checking each other out. And in P.E. it got worse. I know guys slapped each other on the ass when they did something good, but they did it so often, I am surprised they didn't have bruises! And Oliver had told me that in the changing room, they would stand really close to each other and it just didn't look right to him.

I know I sound like an anti-gay person, but as you know, I am not! I mean, I have a crush on a girl when I am a girl so who am I to judge? I just don't like these guys because they deny it! And they hide it. They sure as hell had something going on behind everyone's backs. But I didn't hate them because of that! I hated them because they were total assholes. Plain and simple. And these guys thought they were so tough! Well I was _not_ scared of them…Okay maybe a little…

The bell rang and everyone hurried to take their seats. I groaned and hit my head on the desktop. Then I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I looked up to find that it was Miley's. She smiled at me.

"Come on, Lils. Keep your head up," She said.

"Why should I?" I grumbled.

"Because you're beautiful." She bit her lip. "And that shouldn't be hidden."

She had said it so low that only I had heard her. My cheeks grew very hot and my heart started beating faster. She called me beautiful! And that was all I needed to get me through the day. Well…at least make me last until lunch.

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**So there is the next chapter. What does Miley want to talk to Jake about? What did Rick and Fagan mean? What's going to happen to Lilly and Miley?!**

**Those are just some questions to ask yourself and think about. I want to keep you guessing, so I ask you questions that I know the answer to(or at least I pretend like I do) so you can drive yourselves crazy by trying to think of how this will work out.**

**So review please! They make me happy.**


	8. Talking To Jake

**Alright thanks for the reviews! And I don't know what else to say, so here I go.**

**I don't own Hannah Montana, but that would be pretty sweet if I did.**

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**Lilly's POV**

We made it through our first four classes. Now it was finally time for lunch-and Miley's talk with Jake. I wanted to throw up just thinking about it. I looked over at Miley as we made our way to the lockers. She was white and nervous. We got to our lockers and I shoved my books inside then turned to her.

She slammed her locked door shut and turned to look at me, too.

"It's gonna be okay, Miles." I smiled to reassure her.

She returned it, but not fully. "Thanks, Lilly."

Looking around, I noticed the halls were empty. Everyone was at lunch already. It was going to be almost impossible for her to get Jake alone now.

"Miley, how are you going to get Jake alone?" I asked, voicing my thoughts.

"I dropped a note on his desk before we left first period," she explained. "I told him to meet me in the library."

"Why the library?" Okay, I know not that many people go in the library at lunch, but _some_ do!

"Because the only people who go in the library at lunch are too absorbed in their work to notice what's going on," she said as if it were obvious.

How was I supposed to know that?! I don't go in the library!

"Well I guess you better get going, then." I nodded in the direction of the big scary place with the books(as I call it).

She turned so that she was facing the direction she needed to go in, but didn't move after that.

"Miles, are you gonna go?" I asked.

She didn't answer, just kept staring off into space. I could tell the poor thing was scared to death. Her breathing was fast. I could see her chest rise and fall quickly…Up, down, up, down…_Nice_! Woah, Truscott! Snap out of it!

"Do you want me to walk you there?" I asked after a few seconds of silence…and watching her chest move. _Wink, wink_.

This time she responded with a nod, but she still hadn't opened her mouth in a while. Shame too, I love hearing her musical voice.

I slipped my hand into hers. She looked down at her hands and then up at me, her cheeks flushed and a question in her eyes.

"What are you doing?" She asked, hoarsely.

"Walking you to the library," I said and gave her a small smile.

She returned it and I knew that meant 'thanks.'

So we walked to the library, our feet falling into step with each other. As we drew nearer, she squeezed my hand tightly, but I didn't mind. I had no intention of letting go.

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**Miley's POV**

Why was Lilly so awesome? She knew how much I needed her at the moment and she was there. I just wish she knew how much I _wanted_ her. Would she be willing to be so close then? When I looked in her eyes, something told me yes. But from the looks we got walking down the hall holding hands, I couldn't help but think differently again.

We got to the library a little too soon. Looking around, I knew I was right. There was hardly anyone in there. But _he_ was there. I saw him sitting at one of the back tables, trying not to be noticed. But I noticed him. And he noticed me, too. When he saw me and Lilly, he made a little wave to get our attention.

I froze. I was so not ready for this. Not yet. It was too soon. I tried to turn and run, but Lilly stopped me. I looked at her with pleading eyes, praying she would be nice and let me go. But she wasn't and she didn't.

"Come on, Miles," she said softly. "You'll have to do this sooner or later. It might as well be sooner."

I sighed and nodded. She pulled me over to where Jake was sitting. When we got to him, he stood up.

"I thought you wanted to talk alone," he said, glancing at Lilly, down to our hands (still locked together), and back at me. He was clearly embarrassed.

"You are," Lilly said. I looked at her in alarm.

"What?!" I croaked. _She was leaving me!_

"You can do it, Miles." She gave me a reassuring smile, squeezed my hand one last time, then turned and walked out of the library.

_Fuck you, Lilly!….Oh yeah I'll fuck you…Oh shut up, Miley_, I thought.

I turned to Jake. He was looking everywhere else but at me.

I cleared my throat. "Uh…"

"Um…what did you want to talk to me about?" He still didn't look at me.

"I…uh…you…" I couldn't find the right words. So I took a deep breath, cleared my mind, and started over. "You never called…"

Jake shuffled his feet. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Are you really?" I asked, feeling my eyes tear up.

_Oh no, don't cry, Stewart!,_ I told myself.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Why didn't you call?!" My voice cracked.

He simply shrugged.

"Jake, you took my fucking virginity, and you didn't even call after," I whispered. "I deserve to know why."

He finally looked me in the face. "Because I was scared."

"Of what?!" Okay, this boy was not making sense!

"Of hurting you." His words sounded true, but confused the hell out of me.

"What the fuck?! You hurt me by not calling!" I said a little too loudly. Several heads turned and looked at us. I was surprised the librarian didn't come and give me detention for the rest of the year.

"Well…It's complicated," he said in a low voice.

"Can you at least try to explain?" I pleaded.

Jake sighed and nodded. "Okay, so that night we…we…"

"Fucked?" I finished for him.

His face hardened, but he continued. "Yeah…well I realized something."

"Realized what?" _Spit it out, boy!_

"That I don't have feelings for you anymore." He sighed again. "It was kind of like fucking my sister."

_No, that didn't hurt my pride at all!_

"And it was just so awkward and weird," Jake went on. "It didn't feel right. I figured if I called and led you on, it would hurt you more than not calling at all."

"Jake, you could have told me if you didn't feel the connection," I said.

"You mean, you're not mad?" He looked at me, shocked.

_Yup, still full of himself_, I thought.

"Mad? No! More like relieved." I smiled. "I didn't feel anything, either."

"But…what?" He looked so confused.

"Jake, believe it or not, not _every_ girl wants you," I smirked and decided to tease him. "You're not even that good."

His face went red with embarrassment. "Well you weren't so great yourself."

"Well that's because I wasn't into you," I countered.

"Why not? Are you a dyke or something?" he asked a little too loudly.

The whole room went quiet. I felt dozens of eyes on me. I could feel my face and neck growing hot, knowing they were turning red. _Shit_!

"No," I said through clenched teeth.

We stayed there, staring at each other (me glaring) for a few minutes. Then, a door slammed and the room got back to normal. I breathed out a sighof relief.

Jake's face was serious. "Miley…are you?"

I bit my lip. _No!_ He couldn't know anything. I wouldn't let him!

"No," I mumbled.

"You know, it'd be okay if you were," he said. I looked at him. His face was soft and kind.

Hmm he actually was cute. Maybe I'd only seen the bad in him before because I was so pissed at him about not calling.

"I'm not, " I insisted.

"Bi?" Jake asked, looking at me.

Now that was true. I'd decided a few weeks ago that I was bi, not a lesbian. Yes, there is a difference! To me there is, anyway…

"Jake, just shut the fuck up." I glared at him.

He put his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay." He paused for a few seconds. "I love you, Miley."

I starred at him. _What?!_ I screamed in my head.

"I'm not _in_ love with you." _Wow that was close_. "But I do love you and care about you."

I smiled. "Thanks, Jake."

"And I'm sorry about Oliver." Now why'd he have to go and say that?!

"I don't want to talk about it," I said, looking down.

"Oh…right. Sorry."

"It's okay. You didn't know it was a sore topic."

Jake nodded and changed the subject. "So…friends?"

I looked up with a small smile. "Friends."

He pulled me into a hug, which I returned. God, I needed a hug. I wanted one, too. Sure, I did love Jake as a friend, but his arms just didn't feel right. I wanted a different blonde's arms to be holding me. I guess he realized my discomfort because he pulled back.

"Too soon for hugs?" he asked.

"Too soon for hugs." I nodded.

"That's fine. I understand." He smiled a little. "So I'm guessing you want to go find Lilly now and tell her _everything_."

"Well she _is_ my best friend." I laughed.

He put his arm around my shoulder and gave it a squeeze then looked at me with a sly grin. "Sure…But that's not all. To, you anyway."

Oh shit. He knew. I better keep my lips zipped or I might let something else slip!

**Lilly's POV**

Why was Miley taking so long?! It didn't take twelve minutes to tell Jake he was a dick! Yeah, twelve minutes….I counted!

I looked at my watch. Thirteen minutes.

"Crap," I muttered. We weren't going to get to eat.

Then Miley finally came out of the library…with Jake. His arm was around her shoulder and they were smiling. Anger and jealousy shot through my body. They looked like they were back together!

"Lilly!" Miley said happily as I approached them.

_Don't you 'Lilly' me_, I wanted to snap at her.

"Hey Lilly," Jake said timidly. Well at least he saw how pissed I was!

"Hi," I mumbled to them in return.

"Lils, great news!" Miley smiled. "Jake's not a dick anymore!"

"Hey, I never was one," Jake said in protest.

Miley and I both ignored him.

"Then what was that little display of arrogance this morning?" I asked Miley.

She frowned and looked at Jake. "Yeah what was that?"

"Well some old habits die hard." He laughed.

There was a silent moment that I decided to break.

"So…when's the wedding?" I grumbled.

They both looked at me, confused.

"What are you talking about?" Miley looked a bit hurt. Well so was I.

"You two look pretty chummy there." I frowned.

Jake's arm shot off of Miley's shoulder.

"No, Lils! We're just friends!" Miley exclaimed.

_Why does she look so scared?_ I wondered.

"Really?" I smiled.

"Really! I swear!" She smiled back.

I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around her waist. I couldn't help myself. I was so happy! She hadn't gotten back together with Jake! My smiled widened when Miley's arms went around my neck as she hugged be back tightly. She rested her chin on my shoulder. I could smell her perfume _so_ well. God, I wanted to stay like that forever!

Jake cleared his throat. Leave it to him to ruin our moment!…As you can see, I still haven't fully forgiven him since I don't know the whole story. But my brunette beauty can fill me in later, I guess.

"Uh…I hate to interrupt this hug fest, but I'm kind of hungry." Jake laughed. "Would you two like to get some lunch?"

"I'm fine," I said, still hugging the most wonderful girl ever. But then my stomach growled, proving that I was lying.

_Damn you, stomach!_ I thought.

Miley laughed and pulled back just enough to look at me. She didn't break the hug, and her arms were still around my neck.

"Come on, let's feed the beast that is your stomach," she joked and laughed.

I looked into her eyes, getting a bit lost. Man, when she smiled like that, I wanted to kiss her so badly! But I couldn't. I just couldn't do it! That would ruin everything.

So instead, I laughed along with her then said, "Alright."

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**K so it's shorter than I wanted it to be, but I want to have enough for next chapter. **

**Read and Review please!**


	9. Rumors

**Thanks for all the reviews! I got some suggestions. I am going to try to work on those. Hope I don't disappoint anyone!!**

**I don't own Hannah Montana and I can't think of anything cute or witty to say about this fact, so let's leave it at that.**

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

**Miley's POV**

I can't even begin to express how relieved I am that all this mess with Jake is cleared up. Sure, I wish I could have my virginity back so I could give it to someone I was actually in love with, but I knew that was impossible. So I was satisfied with not hating the guy who had taken it.

But could I honestly forgive a guy who treated me like that so easily? Jake just left after taking a part of me that I could _never_ get back. He left me feeling lonely, hopeless, and depressed. At the time, I felt like I had just ruined my entire life and that there was no point in living.

But then I thought of Lilly. About how she made me happy, how nothing could ever seem bad when she was around, and how her smile made my heart melt. She was my sole reason for living. Knowing I could wake up and see her face everyday made it worth it to keep going.

I had absolutely no dignity left in my body, but Lilly didn't care. She looked past my stupidity and accepted me.

Jake didn't, couldn't, and wouldn't do that. Not as a boyfriend or a friend. So why was I so quick to accept him back into my life? Because he'd said sorry and meant it.

And now, as he, Lilly, and I walked towards the cafeteria together, I realized what I was doing. I was trying to fill a hole. The hole that had been left when Oliver died. I missed having a guy friend. I wasn't replacing Oliver. I was filling in the space. I knew Jake cared about me in some way, and that's all I wanted. A friend.

_But I have Lilly_, I thought.

I glanced at her while we walked. Her beautiful blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail. Her bangs hung in her enticing blue eyes. I loved it when they did that. I loved her. I didn't want her as a friend. I wanted her as more. I wanted her to be my girlfriend.

As I thought this, we entered the cafeteria. Seeing the other students, I remembered the looks we'd gotten when Lilly and I walked down the hall holding hands-just as friends. If Lilly and I _did_ ever get together, they would never understand, never give us a chance.

_I hate them all_, I thought.

Then I thought, _Why is there a hand waving in front of my face?_

"Miley! Earth to Miley!" Lilly's voice said.

I shook my head, coming to. Oh…It had been Lilly's hand.

"Yeah?" I asked, looking at her.

"Are you just going to stand there all day, or are you going to get some food?" She asked.

"Food, please," I said with a small smile.

"Okay, come on. Jake's already loaded his tray." She grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the sub-edible cafeteria food.

"Figures he wouldn't wait for us," she muttered under her breath.

We got our food and sat down at the table Jake had chosen. It was empty except for the three of us. That was odd. Jake usually had at least thirty people trying to cram into his lunch table. Why was today different?

I turned around and realized that people were _stating_ at us. Or more, me, actually. A few people had smirks on their faces. Some were giggling. A couple of people looked away when I looked at them.

I turned back, my face red. I could feel their eyes on my neck. Why were they staring at me? I couldn't figure it out. I just hoped Lilly wouldn't notice, because the only thing I could think of that would cause this much attention was when Jake asked me if I was a dyke in the library. But nobody important had heard that, right?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I made it through lunch by some miracle. Lilly did notice the people staring, but I didn't give her a chance to question me. As soon as the bell rang to go to fifth period, I darted towards my classroom. I didn't have that class with her. As I went, I didn't even glance over my shoulder at her. I wish I could have seen her gorgeous face one last time before I had to leave her for an hour, though…

As I sat at my desk in the back of my fifth period all by myself, I felt so alone.

My brain was so focused on trying to figure out why everyone was staring at me, I didn't notice anything going on around me.

"Miley, Miley, Miley," A girl's voice said. "Why the long face?"

I looked up and groaned. Amber and Ashley, two of the people I hated most in the world, were standing over me with smirks on their faces.

"What do you want?" I grumbled.

"Ouch. Not very friendly, now, are we?" Amber, the one who had spoken before said.

"Not friendly at all," Ashley chimed in.

Ashley was sort of like Amber's bitch. She did whatever Amber told her to and whenever she told her to do it.

"I'm just not in a good mood right now, okay?" I said.

"Why? Cranky? Didn't sleep well? Had a _late night_?" Amber chuckled.

Why had she emphasized those last two words?

The whole room laughed. I hadn't noticed that the class had filled up, or that they were listening, for that matter.

"Leave her alone," Jake, who was now sitting beside me, said.

_Woah!_ How long had he been sitting there?!

"Did you have a _late night _too, Jake?" Amber asked him.

She did it again!

"Maybe." He glared at her suspiciously.

He turned and looked at me. "Do you know what she's talking about?" he whispered.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Not a clue," I whispered back.

"Look, everyone," Amber said to the crowd, "Miley and Jake both had _late nights_."

Third time…

The crowd snickered.

"What do you want?" I repeated my question from earlier.

"To know the truth," Amber stated. "See, there's two rumors going around. And they're both about you, Miley."

"It's only the first day of school! How could there be one, let alone two, rumors about me already?!" I half-screamed at her.

"If you want to know what they are, you're going to have to stop interrupting like that." She sighed in annoyance.

"Fine." I crossed my arms. "Go ahead."

"So as I was saying before I was _rudely_ interrupted," she started again, "there are two rumors. The first was that you were a lesbian."

My jaw dropped open and my moth was dry. I was at a loss for words.

Had they heard Jake in the library? Had they assumed too much from me and Lilly holding hands? Did they see the way I looked at her?

My questions were soon answered.

"This came from people seeing you and Lilly Truscott holding hands today," Amber said. "And Ashley and I heard Jake ask if you were a dyke when we were in the library checking our Facebook's at lunch."

I hadn't seen them in there! But I hadn't checked who was at the computers, either. However, I didn't see them when we left.

_The door that slammed_, I remembered. _That must have been them leaving so they could go spread the rumor._

"So, are you a lesbian?" Amber asked with a smirk.

The class laughed.

"No," I croaked.

"Are you sure?" She raised her eyebrows.

I nodded quickly.

"Ash and I didn't think so." She laughed, seeming to accept that.. "I mean, Jakey here wouldn't date a _lesbo_."

Did she have to use that term?

"Speaking of Jake dating people," Amber continued, "The other rumor is that you and him are back together."

I glanced at Jake. He was still as a statue, not looking like he was going to offer any help. Gee thanks, pal. I looked back at the witches.

"But not only are you dating him, you're also fucking him!" Ashley cut in for the first time in a while.

I gasped and looked at Jake again.

"You told them?!" I screamed at him.

That had to be how they found out. There was no other way.

"No," Amber snorted. "But you just did! Way to go, whore!"

The room erupted in laughter.

I sat there, helplessly. I had just told the whole classroom that I slept with Jake Ryan. _Perfect_!

"Miley," Jake said, reaching for my hand.

I didn't let him take it. Instead, I stood up and ran out the door. Once out, I kept going. Tears were streaming down my cheeks, but I didn't care. I just had to get out of that damned school. So I just kept running-all the way home.

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

**Lilly's POV**

People were starting to piss me off…more than usual! Why had they been looking at Miley like that? I couldn't stop wondering all through my fifth period. I barely noticed when it ended, but I knew it must have because I was in the hall again. Had I even gone to class at all? I didn't remember it…

I heard someone calling my name.

"Lilly! Lilly!" The person shouted.

I turned around. It was Jake. _Great_.

He ran up to me.

"H-have you seen Miley?" He asked, out of breath.

"No." I frowned. "I thought she was with you in French class."

"She was," he said." But she left."

"She left?" I asked, confused.

"Well…she ran out." Jake sighed.

"What?! Why?!" I screamed.

Jake put his finger to his lips, signaling to me to keep my voice down.

"They found out her secret." He frowned.

_Shit!_

"They found out she's Hannah Montana?" I whispered, praying my assumption was wrong.

"No." Jake shook his hand. "Actually, it wasn't just her secret. It was mine too."

I starred at him.

"They found out our _dirty little secret_." He raised his eyebrows, hoping I'd caught on.

But he didn't have to say _dirty little secret_ for me to know what he was talking about. I had already figured it out.

The whole school knew Miley had slept with Jake.

I turned away from him and started running towards the exit.

"Where are you going?!" Jake called after me.

"To comfort my best friend," I yelled, not looking over my shoulder.

I sprinted to the parking lot and jumped into Franny(or was it Peggy officially?) as soon as I got to her. I was probably going to get her taken away for ditching school, but I didn't care. All that mattered was getting to Miley_,_ just like on the night that caused the current chaos.

Driving to her house, I was going crazy. Fast was not fast enough. I was swerving past cars, cutting corners, and everything. Okay maybe I wasn't, but I was going way over the speed limit. And I was getting there in record time. The wind was blowing on my face from my open window. I was almost there and then…I got stopped at a red light. It had to be the _very_ last one before her house!

"Fuck!" I yelled, quite annoyed.

I looked to my left. The old woman in the car next to me had her windows down, too. She was giving me a disapproving look.

"What the hell do you want?!" I asked her.

She gasped and rolled her window up.

"Good. Leave me alone." I mumbled.

It pisses me off when people judge me, especially old people. And boy was she judging me! I could see it on her face. Just thinking what she would think if she knew I was on my way to the house of a girl I had a crush on brought a smirk to my face.

The light changed and I darted forward.

Finally, I was at Miley's house. I knocked at the door loudly and impatiently. No one answered. _Fuck that! I know I'm welcome!_

I let myself in and ran up the stairs to Miley's room. I could hear her sobbing over the music that was blasting from within. I ran through the door.

"Lilly?" Miley asked, sitting up and wiping the tears off her face. "What are you doing here?"

I pressed the "pause" button on her Ipod, which was on the dock, so we couldn't be distracted.

"I came to check on you." I sat on the bed beside her. "I heard what happened. Well…not how, but what happened."

"Who told you?" she frowned. "Or is it all over school?"

I shook my head. "Jake told me."

"Oh." She sighed.

"What happened?" I asked, opening my arms for her to come over.

I expected her to just sit next to me so I could hug her, but she sat in my lap instead. Smiling, I wrapped my arms around her as she cuddled into my body.

"I told everyone." She buried her face in my shoulder.

"Why on earth would you do that?" I asked.

"It was an accident," she said. "Amber told me there were two rumors about me. I denied the first one and the second one was that me and Jake were back together, and that I'd slept with him."

"What did you say?" I bit my lip.

"I yelled at Jake 'you told them!' because I thought he had." She groaned. "But he hadn't. It was just a stupid rumor that they made up. It could have gone away, but I blew it!"

We sat quietly for a while after that. I stroked her hair softly. She was hurting. I could tell. I didn't want her to hurt anymore. I just wanted her to be happy. And I wanted her to be happy being _my _Miley.

"What was that other rumor?" I wondered aloud.

"Oh." Miley looked up from my shoulder, her cheeks flushed. "You don't want to know."

"Please, Miley." I wiped a stray tear from her face. "I'll hear it eventually, but I would rather it came from you."

"Fine." She sighed. "They thought I was a lesbian."

My heart started beating faster. Could there be a chance for us?! Then I remembered she said she'd denied that rumor. This felt like getting punched in the stomach.

"But you're not?" I gulped.

_Say you are_, I silently pleaded.

"No." She shook her head. "I'm not."

Fuck! So close!

_Screw it, I'm going for it_! _Life's too short not to take chances,_ I thought.

"That's too bad." I bit my lip.

Miley looked at me, confused. "Why is that bad?"

I said, "Because you'll probably never want to see me again after this…"

I leaned in, closed my eyes, and softly pressed my lips against hers.

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**Oh cliffhanger! Sorry about that, but I think that's what you've been waiting for, so let me off the hook. Lol.**

**Review! Reviews make me happy and make me write more faster.**


	10. Confessions

**Sorry about the wait, especially since I left you on a cliffhanger. I've been super busy. And I will be busy all next week. I don't know when and if I will have time to write. Also, I have two Youtube fan fictions that I haven't even written the next parts for! Told ya, busy! So here is your next chapter. I hope you like it. I think it's a little cheesy…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana. If I did, Miley Cyrus wouldn't be having photo scandals every week because I wouldn't have hired her in the first place. Seriously, have you seen the newest leaked photos?**

**In case you are wondering, I'm not really that much of a Miley fan. Love the show and her character. But her as a person…yeah…no comment. I don't know her so I can't judge her…That's all I am saying on the subject!**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_**Lilly's POV**_

Oh shit! I was kissing Miley Stewart! As soon as my lips touched hers, I felt a spark. My heart was pounding against my chest. Tingles were going through my whole body. And then, the biggest shocker of all was…I think she was kissing me back.

I pulled away and looked at her. Her eyes were closed and she had an unreadable expression on her face. Oh, no! What if she hadn't been kissing me back?!

"I-I'm sorry. I should go." I stood up and ran out the door.

Tears were stinging my eyes as I practically jumped down the stairs. I reached the door. I was almost out. Once I was home, I could cry alone in my room while I wallowed in self pity.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Miley's POV**

**Author's Note: This is the same scene, only in Miley's point of view.**

Lilly leaned in and kissed me softly. I couldn't believe it. She actually kissed me instead of the other way around. I was in shock, but I soon recovered. I started to kiss her back as my lips burned. I was just about to run my tongue over her bottom lip when she pulled away. I kept my eyes closed and tried to look expectant. I wished she would kiss me again. I hoped she would take the hint and grant my wish. But she didn't.

"I-I'm sorry. I should go," she said.

I felt her get up and heard her run out the door. I opened my eyes. She was gone. I terrible pain went through my chest as I remembered the night I had slept with Jake. He got what he came for…and then left very quickly.

-Flashback-

_Jake and I laid in my bed surrounded by awkward silence. After what seemed like forever, he got up and got dressed, avoiding my eyes._

"_Leaving?" I asked, pretending to be disappointed and trying to hide the fact that I hoped he would just go away and never come back._

"_Yeah…um…I have…an audition tomorrow," he said. That didn't sound to honest, though. Sure, he was an actor and he did go to auditions, but the way he said it made me think that he didn't really have an audition to go to tomorrow._

"_Oh…will you call me after?"_

_**Please don't**__, I thought._

"_Sure," he said quietly while putting his shoes on._

_He got up, kissed my forehead, and left. A few moments later I heard the front door slam and the sound of tires squealing._

_**Wow he was in a hurry to leave**__, I thought._

-End of flashback-

The painful memories flooded back. Once again, I felt alone, stupid, and rejected.

That's when I knew that I couldn't let her leave. Lilly was the best thing that ever happened to me and now that she was so close, I couldn't let her go!

I got up off my bed and ran down the hall, licking my lips as I went. I could still taste her apple lip gloss. It blended pretty well with my own cinnamon gloss.

I reached the top of the stairs just in time. She was about to leave. Her hand was reaching out for the doorknob. I had to get her attention, quick!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Lilly's POV**

My hand reached for the doorknob.

"Lilly!" Miley's voice called. "Don't leave!"

I froze. Had she really come after me?

"Lilly, please?" She asked.

I turned around. Miley was at the top of the stairs. She _had_ come after me. I almost smiled at this realization.

"Don't run away like Jake did," she said so quietly I almost didn't hear it.

Oh she played the Jake card. There was no way I could leave now!

I nodded and slowly started walking to the stairs. At the same time, Miley started coming down. I reached the foot of the stairs at the exact moment she reached the third step.

What happened next I didn't expect.

Miley jumped off the stairs onto me. Her legs wrapped around my waist and her arms around my neck. My own arms instinctively caught her, supporting her weight. This reminded me of the ending scene in the movie _Definitely, Maybe_.

"Why does everyone I kiss have to run away after?" She giggled, clearly feeling better than she was a few seconds before when she mentioned Jake.

I gaped at her.

"You're not mad?" I asked.

"Do I look mad?" She smiled sweetly.

I just stared at her. What was wrong with this girl? Was she feeling okay?!

"Come on." She kissed my forehead. "Let's go to my room and talk."

Miley slid off my waist. She unwrapped her arms from my neck and then grabbed my hand, dragging me up the stairs.

When we got to her room, she jumped on her bed and sat down. I hesitated in the doorway. I was still in shock that she didn't hate me. She smiled at me and patted the spot on the bed beside her. After a moment longer of hesitating, I went over and sat on the bed next to her.

Neither of us spoke for a while. I sat there, biting my lip so hard it's amazing I didn't draw blood. Miley looked at me, still smiling that amazing smile.

"You're cute when you're nervous," She said after a while.

"How do you know I'm nervous?" I asked.

"You're biting your lip," she stated. "You always do that when you're nervous."

"Oh." My cheeks grew hot and I knew I was blushing.

Miley smiled even wider at this.

There were a few more moments of silence.

"We're gonna have to talk about this, Lilly," Miley said, once again breaking the silence.

"I know." I sighed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Miley's POV**

Alright it's officially sunken in. Lilly kissed me! Yes!

Now if I could just get her to talk to me about it, maybe we could do it again…

"Do you want me to start?" I asked.

She nodded, staring at her feet.

"Alright…so…" Now that I was starting to talk, I couldn't think of what to say. Great! "You kissed me…"

_Thank you, captain obvious!_

She winced. I kept talking anyway.

"Does that mean you like me as more than a friend?" I asked, looking at her.

She was silent for a moment before mumbling, "yes."

I smiled. My heart skipped a beat. That single word was the greatest word I had ever heard in my entire life!

"Lils…I-I like you, too." I said.

Lilly's head shot up. Her eyes were wide with what looked like shock and a huge smile was spread across her face.

"Really?" she asked, breathlessly.

"Yeah!" I laughed. "Didn't you notice that I kissed you back?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Lilly's POV**

**A/N: Most of the same scene, but in Lilly's point of view.**

"Alright…so…you kissed me…" Miley said.

I winced. This is where she tells me it's okay that I like girls, but she doesn't feel the same way. This is where she breaks my currently fast-paced heart.

"Does that mean you like me as more than a friend?" shed asked, looking at me.

Correction. _This_ is where she breaks my heart.

I thought for a moment. I could lie and tell her that I didn't like her as more than a friend (even though I was in love with her). I could tell her that the kiss was just a mistake and I shouldn't have done it. But what was the point? I'd kissed her. The evidence was there. No. I just had to tell her the truth. Even if it hurt. Even if she would probably reject me.

"Yes," I mumbled.

"Lils…I-I like you, too," she said.

My head shot up. My eyes grew wide and I could feel a smile stretching across my face. Miley was smiling, too.

"Really?" I asked, breathlessly. I think I had forgotten how to breathe.

"Yeah!" She laughed. "Didn't you notice that I kissed you back?"

"No." My face went red. "I thought you had, but I wasn't sure. I thought maybe since I wanted you to so badly, I might have imagined it."

She laughed. "You silly girl."

She smiled, leaned in, and pressed her lips against mine. Once again, I felt a spark and tingles going through my body. It was the most amazing sensation I ever felt. But Miley pulled away, and it was over.

I frowned, not happy that the kiss had ended. She laughed at my reaction.

"So how long have you liked me?" She asked when she stopped laughing.

"Since before I was dating Oliver," I answered. "When I kissed him, I saw your face. I guess I just didn't realize it until later."

I looked at her.

"But why did you go out with him, then?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"I liked him too, but not as much as you." I shrugged. "Plus, I didn't think I had a chance with you."

She nodded, a look of understanding on her face.

"So what about you?" I asked, trying to get off of the 'Oliver' subject. "How long have you liked me?"

She bit her lip, thinking.

_I'm not the only one who bites my lip_, I thought.

"For a while," She said. "That's the reason I slept with Jake. I wanted to make you jealous."

I gasped. I hadn't thought of that possibility. Great! Miley's reputation was ruined because of me.

"Oh God, Miles!" I slapped my forehead. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea!"

"Don't be." She shook her head. "It was my mistake. I was stupid. There's no one to blame but me."

Miley put her hand on mine. I smiled.

"So…what does this mean?" I asked.

"What does what mean?" She looked at me.

"What does this mean for us?" I clarified.

"Oh…well…" She cleared her throat. "What do you want it to mean?"

"Well I kind of want it to mean you're my girlfriend." I twirled one of my blonde curls around my index finger.

_Please say yes!_ I thought.

"I'd like that." Miley said with a smile.

Score! I was so happy! This was probably the best moment of my life.

I leaned in to kiss her, but she put her hand up to stop me.

"Not yet," she laughed when she saw the face I made when she stopped me. "We still have to figure some stuff out."

"Fine," I laughed, too. "Go ahead. Shoot. What's on your mind?"

"Well first, my dad _can't_ find out." She looked at me seriously. "You know how religious he is. He would never understand or accept us."

I nodded. I understood that, but my family wasn't too religious, so I didn't quite get why people freaked out about same sex relationships at church. I mean, doesn't God want everyone to love? I didn't go to church, but I wasn't atheist. I just didn't have a specific religion. Technically, I was Catholic. But those close- minded hypocrites (no offense, Catholics) bugged me too much. So I considered myself religiously independent. I believed that I wanted. What did I believe? I believed in God. I believed Jesus died on the cross for my sins. Done! Think I'm going to hell? Well fuck you, then. I don't give a shit about what you think.

"What about my mom? Can she know?" I asked after going through that rather long rant in my head.

"Well I don't know," Miley said uncertainly.

"She won't care. You know she won't." I reached out and took her hand, squeezing it. "She'd support us. Plus, she wouldn't tell anyone. There is no doubt in my mind about that."

"Yeah. You're right." She smiled a little. "But that's it. No one else at all. It could get back to my dad."

"Fine with me," I said. "I don't need people budding into my business anyway."

"_Our _business," she corrected with a grin. "Plus the school already knows one rumor about me is true-uh, half true. I don't need them to have proof that the other one is, too."

"Oh my gosh, you're a lesbian?!" I asked in fake horror and disgust.

We both laughed hysterically.

"N-no," She said, trying to catch her breath. "I'm bi, thank you very much. Are _you_ a lesbian?"

Hmm…Was I a lesbian? Well some people said I dressed like one. That pissed me off because it was a stereotype and stereotypes are bull shit. But, I did like girls-one girl, anyway. I liked guys too, though…

"I think I'm bi since I like guys. And I only like _one _girl," I said after some thinking.

"Who?!" Miley exclaimed. It was her turn to fake shock.

"Hannah Montana." I laughed. "She's sooo hot!"

She smiled at the mention of her alter ego. "Shut up, you bi dork."

"Hey, I may be a bi dork, but I'm _your _bi dork." I smiled, too.

"Yeah." Her eyes lit up. "You're _my _bi dork."

I couldn't take it anymore. It was killing me! I leaned in and kissed her. I felt the same thing as I had the first two times. But there was no way I was going to run away this time.

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**Oh-Kay! That was kind of lame, in my opinion. But I guess there were some cute scenes. Review, please! They make me **_**really**_** happy.**


	11. Telling Lilly's Mom

**I can't even begin to explain how sorry I am that it took me longer than usual to update! And I know excuses are lame, but I have 2 of them.**

**1. I was busy all week and I had to work on my 2 youtube fan fictions because my youtube fans were bugging me!**

**2. I had a horrible illness called writer's block. But I got over it, thankfully.**

**Disclaimer: I am so broke I can't even pay attention, so I obviously don't own Hannah Montana.**

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**Miley's POV**

I am dating Lilly Truscott! I'm dating _the_ Lillian Truscott! And you aren't! Nanananananaaa!

Uh sorry about that…I'm kind of excited. I mean, Lilly and I are together now!

That one fact makes me extremely happy yet scares the shit out of me at the same time. If anyone were to find out, they would tell my dad, and my life would be over. Seriously, he'd kill me! He would kill me, bring me back to life, kick me out, and then kill me again.

I don't know if I could take that. My own father would hate me! And for something that wasn't even my fault. Because feeling the way I did about Lilly was not a choice. But hey, I'm not complaining. I love this girl. And loving her is part of who I am. Would my father really hate me for being who I was?

This was all I could think about as we walked to Lilly's house to tell her mom we were dating(we decided to leave her car at my house so we could have more time to think of what we were going to say). I was a nervous wreck, even though I knew everything was going to be okay. Lilly's mom was really cool. She would totally understand….Well maybe not understand, but she would accept us. I knew it.

So if I knew it, why was my heart hammering against my rib cage? Maybe because if we said it out loud to someone other than ourselves, it would feel more official.

"Miley," Lilly said.

I looked at her. She was smiling.

"Yeah?" I asked, clearing my throat.

"I know we don't want to make it look like we're together, but you don't have to stand so far away from me it looks like I have a disease or something." She laughed.

She had a point, there. Usually, we walked with hardly any space between us. But today, I was so far from her that I was almost falling off the sidewalk.

"Sorry, I'm just being cautious," I said edging closer to her, but not much.

She sighed and put an arm around my shoulder. "A little _too_ cautious, Babe."

I shrugged her arm off before anyone saw, not that there was anyone around, just to make sure, though. "Uh, 'babe?'"

"What, too soon?" She asked with a pout, looking hurt.

"No." I smiled. "I like it, I just don't want anyone to hear."

She rolled her eyes. "Miles, no one is around _to _hear! Look!"

Lilly gestured to the empty street.

"Can you just humor me on this?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

She shrugged and laughed. "Fine."

We walked the rest of the way to her house in silence. But it didn't bother me. I was in my own little world. I barely even noticed when we got there and Lilly dragged me inside.

"Lilly, that you?" Her mom called from the living room.

That snapped me back to reality and I realized what was going on. I started to run up the stairs, but something caught my arm. I turned around find that it was Lilly who had grabbed me. And she was staring at me with those wonderful eyes of hers. I looked back into them and got lost for a second, which I knew wasn't good, so I looked away.

"Miles." Her voice was soothing.

I didn't respond, just kept my eyes down.

"Miley, look at me," she said forcefully but softly.

I took a deep breath and obeyed. Her blue orbs locking into mine and I couldn't look away even if I wanted to, which I didn't.

"Everything is going to be okay." She slid her hand down my arm to my hand, taking it. "I promise."

I had to smile at this. Her words were sincere. She really meant them. Nothing could beat that. Well…almost nothing.

"Alright." I sighed. "You win."

"Good girl." She gave me a peck on the lips. "Now let's get this over with."

"Uh 'get this over with?'" I raised an eyebrow.

"You know what I meant." Lilly reached out and grabbed a strand of my wavy brown hair, tucking it behind my ear.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Lilly's POV**

"Lilly?" Mom called for me again.

"Are you ready?" I quietly asked Miley.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened her eyes again, and nodded slowly.

I linked my arm with hers and led her to the living room where my mom was waiting. She looked up and smiled when she saw us enter the room.

"Hi girls," she greeted.

"Hey mom," I said.

"I didn't know you were here, Miley. It's good to see you again." My mom put the book she was reading on the coffee table.

Miley was silent beside me. I nudged her in the ribs with my elbow.

She managed to squeak out a "you too."

"Miley, you okay?" My mom looked at her suspiciously.

"She's fine, just a bit nervous," I answered for my girlfriend.

"Nervous?" My mom raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Uh we kind of need to talk to you," I said, getting nervous myself. But that was stupid. I knew I didn't need to be. And if Miley saw that I was, she would get worse.

My mom nodded. "Take a seat." She gestured to the couch across from her armchair.

I sat down, pulling Miley, who seemed to have loss control of her limbs, with me.

"Are you sure she's okay?" Mom asked, looking at Miley doubtfully.

"She will be soon enough," I told my mother.

"Calm down," I whispered in Miley's ear.

That didn't do any good. She still looked terrified.

"Alright, well what did you need to tell me?" Mom leaned forward, giving us-we more like me since Miley wasn't completely there- her full attention.

"Well…uh…"How do I say this? I looked over at Miley. She was being completely useless and no help at all!

"Lilly, just say it. You know you can trust me with anything." Mom smiled.

"You would love me no matter what right?" I asked, setting a trap for later just in case she didn't accept us.

"Of course!" She frowned and gave me the 'did you really have to ask that' look.

"What about if I was…a bit different?"

"You are different." She smiled. "That's what makes you special."

"Well I meant what if I didn't quite meet society's standards?" I asked, trying to hint at it, but she wasn't catching on.

"You know I don't give a damn about what society thinks." She laughed at this.

"What if I was…" I gulped. "Bi?"

"You mean bisexual?" Her tone was calm.

I nodded. "And what if Miley was too?" I took Miley's hand in mine and laced our fingers together. Her hand was cold and clammy. "And what if we were together?"

My mom was silent. Uh oh. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all. Wait, she's smiling. _Okay, heart…you can start beating again._

"I knew it." She laughed.

"Huh?" was all Miley and I could both say.

"I notice the way you two look at each other." Her smile widened. "And that really could be the only explanation for you to wear so much of Lilly's favorite perfume, Miley."

I looked at the brunette sitting beside me. Her face was turning bright red.

"I knew she knew," Miley mumbled under her breath.

I smiled and squeezed her hand. She looked at me and returned the smile.

"I told you it would be okay," I said.

"I know," she said, still smiling.

"So what does Robby Ray think of this?" My mom asked.

Miley's smile instantly faded and her eyes grew wide with terror. I turned to face my mom.

"We haven't told him," I simply stated.

"And we're not going to," Miley added hoarsely.

Mom's face was confused.

"He's kind of closed-minded about these things," I explained.

"Oh," She said as understanding flashed across her face.

"So no one can know or it might get back to him," Miley said, sounding a bit braver now.

"Your secret is safe with me, girls." My mom smiled and pulled us into a bone-crushing hug.

"Uh…Mom…" I gasped

"Heather…we can't…" Miley choked out.

"Breathe!" We screamed together.

My mom laughed and released us. "Sorry."

Wow, for a small woman, my mother's pretty strong.

"Miley, could you give me and Lilly a moment, please?" She asked Miley.

"Sure." My brunette beauty nodded. "I'll be in your room, Lils," she said to me, then turned and left.

I looked at my mom. "What's up?"

"Well, it's barely past two p.m." She put her hands on her hips. "Why aren't the two of you in school?"

I gasped. We had totally forgotten that we were supposed to be in school. The only thing I remembered was that it was my mom's day off so she would be home. Lucky, huh?

"I can explain!" I cried.

"Please do." She was trying her best to be stern.

"The kids at school found out that Miley slept with Jake." I sighed. "She left, crying. I had to leave to make sure she was okay."

My mom nodded sadly. She knew about the Jake incident. "Poor thing."

"Yeah and when I was comforting her, I kind of got carried away and kissed her…And now we're together…" My face grew hot. It was awkward telling her stuff like that.

Mom smirked. "Well it's not the most usual form of comforting, but it worked. She looked really happy…once you told me and she wasn't scared shitless anymore."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Yeah…Kisses seem to be good therapy…"

There was a moment of silence.

"Well don't let it happen again." Her smile turned into a frown and she was pointing a finger in my face.

"But Mom, I thought you were okay with me and Miley!" I half-screamed at her while taking a step back before she poked me in the eye.

"I meant skipping school." She raised an eyebrow. "You can't afford to let your grades slip."

"Oh…right…okay." I sighed in relief.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Miley's POV**

I was standing in Lilly's room, looking at the pictures on her walls. There were a lot of us. I had never noticed before, but I always looked so happy and content when I was with her.

A pair of warm arms slide around my waist from behind me. I smiled.

"I didn't hear you come in," I said.

"You left the door open. All I did was walk in." Lilly rested her chin on my shoulder.

"Well that explains it." I turned my face towards her and my nose brushed lightly against her cheek. I breathed in her scent, the one I loved so much.

"Yes it does." She smiled.

"What did your mom want?" I asked.

"To know why we were skipping school." She sighed.

"You told her the truth?" I bit my lip.

_Hey, maybe Lilly isn't the only one who does that_, I thought.

"Yeah." Lilly said. "No use lying."

"True…" I agreed.

I had told Lilly's mom about what happened with Jake. Heather and I were pretty close. I usually confided in her because she was the closest to a mother I had ever gotten since my own mother died when I was younger.

"Are you okay?" She rubbed my stomach gently with her hand.

"Now that you're here." I kissed her cheek.

Lilly chuckled. "Well I feel special.

I turned around so I was facing her, her arms still around my waist. I wrapped my own around her neck and looked in her eyes.

"You should." I smirked.

Lilly leaned in and closed the space between us. This time, the kiss wasn't just a little peck. It was deeper. Our lips moved together and my body was going through the most amazing sensation ever as shocks went through every single limb. Bravely, I ran my tongue across her bottom lip. She opened her mouth and I slid my tongue in. We fought for dominance, but I gave up and let her win because I knew how much she hated to lose.

"Miley, are you staying for dinner?" Heather asked, walking in.

Lilly and I instantly broke apart, both of us hot and flustered.

"Or do you have your mouthful already?" She laughed at the sight of us.

"Uh…I'll stay if it's okay." I said, trying to catch my breath.

"Alright," Heather said, still laughing.

She turned to leave. Lilly and I exchanged an embarrassed look.

"_Sorry_," She mouthed.

I shook my head with a small smile to let her know it was fine.

"Close and lock the door next time, girls," Heather said and left, closing the door behind her.

At that moment, even though I was totally humiliated, I was extremely happy and I was certain that Lilly and I would be fine…for now, anyway.

- - - - - - - - -

**So did you like it?! I did! It's my favorite chapter so far, ha. I hope that makes up for the longer-than-usual wait!**

**Reviews, please! I'll give you a cookie.**

**Or I might keep it and eat it for myself…Ya never know!**


	12. Across the Universe and Pinky Swears

**Sorry for not updating sooner. I have been uber busy! But I have the chapter up now, so hopefully you will forgive me!**

**Oh and I think you read and review my Camp Rock fan fiction :D**

**I don't own…Got it?**

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**Lilly's POV**

So we told my mom…Yay! She took everything awesomely, just like I knew she would.

Now Miley and I were curled up in my bed, watching a movie. Yes, watching a movie! That's it! I am not lying! We truthfully were behaving!

I gasped as I felt a slight pressure on my left ear, which I realized was Miley's teeth.

Okay, so maybe _I _was behaving.

My gasp only made her bit down a little harder, probably trying to get a moan out of me. But I wasn't going to break that easily. Wait, what was that? Was she kissing my neck? Yup. Now where was she going? Uh oh…she was at my pressure point. I shivered slightly as her lips brushed against it. I felt her smirk against my neck as she went to work at my pressure point. Oh she had me now.

I closed my eyes and let out a soft moan.

She giggled, stopped, and looked at me. "It's about time!"

"Why are you doing this to me?" I asked with a laugh.

"Because it's fun." She smiled.

"Miles, can you please behave?" I cupped her cheek in my hand.

She pouted. "Why?"

"Because…My mom's right downstairs," I said as if it were obvious.

"And?" She raised an eyebrow leaned in to kiss me.

I stopped her. "And that's awkward."

She looked at me, confused. "Awkward?"

"And plus…" I took a deep breath. "I don't think I'm ready."

"Ready…" She said it slowly and registered the words in her mind. Then it hit her and her eyes widened. "Oh…wow…"

"What do you mean 'wow?'" I frowned.

"Uh, Lils…I was just messing around. I'm not ready either…again, I mean…"

My face grew hot. Well that was embarrassing.

"But…you were trying to make me moan," I said, the temperature in my face still increasing.

"Because it's sexy." She giggled and touched my burning cheek. That caused the rest of my body to catch on fire.

"C-Can we w-watch t-the movie again?" I said, trying to keep control of my voice.

Miley giggled again. "Anything for you."

So we settled back onto the pillows and watched the movie again. It was one of my favorites, _Across the Universe_.

"Jude is so protective of Lucy. It's adorable," Miley said some time into it.

I nodded. "Yeah, and Lucy's so oblivious and trusting. It's kind of sweet."

She sighed. "Jude and Lucy may be the main characters, but I don't think they're the best."

"Prudence is," we said together.

We looked at each other and started laughing. It wasn't that funny, but we kept laughing until it hurt. Tears were falling from my eyes when I was finally able to calm down again. I guess it was only so funny because it was ironic. See, for those of you who don't know, Prudence is a lesbian in this insanely awesome movie. And for her to be both of our favorite character was a cool coincidence.

After the laughing fit, we were able to watch the rest of the movie. Miley was in my arms, her head resting on my chest. I loved being that close to her. I was kind of lost in that moment, in _us_. I didn't even realize when the movie ended and the credits started to roll. I was only barely aware of "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" playing while the credits played, even though it was my favorite in the whole movie.

And then an idea occurred to me. "Who gets to be the guy?" I blurted out.

Miley lifted her head off my chest and looked at me. "_What?!_"

"Well…we're both girls." Duh, Lilly!

"I'm well aware of that." She raised an eyebrow.

"But…maybe one of us should have more of a guy role." This made a lot more sense in my head. "Like if we were to dance, one of us would dance like the guy. And just stuff like that."

"Oh." She laughed. "I thought you meant one of us dressing up like a guy!"

"No," I said, laughing with her.

She smirked. "Well you do dress like a boy already…"

I hit her arm lightly.

"Ow." she pouted. "No kisses for Lilly now."

My eyes grew wide with horror. "I'm sorry! I take it back!"

"Fine." She laughed and gave me a peck on the lips. "By the way, you can be the guy. It's a huge turn-on for me. I like my girls rough."

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows.

She nodded and eyed me suspiciously.

"Well…in that case…" I grinned evilly and tackled her onto the bed.

She looked at me, her face clearly showing her surprise. I smirked triumphantly and straddled her hips. I leaned forward. Our faces were just inches apart…

"Girls!" My mother called from downstairs. "Dinner's ready."

I groaned and got off of my girlfriend. Leave it to my mother to ruin our moment…again!

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Miley's POV**

After dinner, Lilly walked me home. I wasn't as freaked out this time. Actually, I wasn't freaked out at all. This time, I was _much_ closer to her. I was closer than usual. I wanted so much to hold her hand, but I knew it was too much of a risk. So instead, we walked with our pinkies brushing against each other. Occasionally, we would link them when we were sure no one was watching. It reminded me of when Lilly and I were little. Whenever we had a secret, we would pinky swear not to tell anyone, not even Oliver. But most of the time he was in on the secret, so we didn't keep too much from him. This was kind of like when we were little.

I felt her pinky lock with mine and I looked at her. She smiled and I returned it. At that moment, I never felt more connected with anyone. It's like we could communicate just by looking into each others' eyes. And I could tell she was thinking the same thing I was.

All too soon, we were at my door.

"Well… bye," Lilly said, looking torn. She wanted to stay just as much as I wanted her to.

"Bye," I said glumly.

She wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me into a hug. It wasn't enough. Now that I knew what her lips felt like on mine, I needed a kiss.

"God I want to kiss you so badly right now," she said into my ear, voicing my thoughts. Her warm breath made me shiver.

"Me too." I sighed and pulled out of the hug.

We both knew we couldn't kiss because someone, meaning my dad, might see. But then an idea hit me.

"Hey Lilly, I think you forgot something in my room," I said with a mischievous smile.

Before she could answer, I grabbed her arm, opened the door, and pulled her into the house.

"Hey, bud. Where ya been?" My dad asked.

"At Lilly's," I said and nodded to her.

He frowned. For some odd reason, Lilly wasn't exactly his favorite person for me to be spending time with these days.

"The school called…said you left without permission." His frown deepened and he glare-glanced at Lilly really quickly. Clearly he thought it was her fault. "Care to explain?"

"Uh…I'm going through some girl stuff right now." I raised my eyebrows. "The kind that are really awkward to talk about with your father…"

His face changed from angry to embarrassed in an instant. "Oh." He cleared his throat. "Well…make sure it's okay before you take off next time, k?"

"Sure, sure." I started pulling Lilly toward the stairs again.

"Where are you two headed?" One, Dad, you are so nosy! Two, where do you think?!

"Lilly forgot something in my room," I said as we reached the stairs.

"She can't spend the night," Father dearest grumbled.

Nice, Dad.

"Didn't plan on it." Now we were climbing up the steps.

"Ya hungry?" Dad called.

_Enough with the questions!_ I screamed at him in my head.

"Ate at Lilly's!" I yelled and made a sprint for my room, dragging Lilly behind me.

We got there and I slammed the door shut, locking it.

"So what did I forget in here?" Lilly asked, clearly amused.

"Your car keys," I simply stated.

"No I didn't." She frowned, confused. "They're in my pocket."

I walked over to her and slid my hand into her pocket. Her clear blue eyes grew wide with shock and excitement.

I pulled her keys out. "Sure about that?" I smiled.

A grin spread across her face. "Why did you want me to come to your room?"

"So we can say goodbye properly." I tossed the keys on my bed and took a step closer to her, pressing my strong dancer's body against her nicely toned skater's body. Then I leaned forward and our lips met.

The instant they touched, they started to move together as one. The surge of electricity was once again moving through ever single one of my limbs.

After a while, we pulled away due to lack of air.

"Miles?" Lilly said, panting. "Remember when we were walking and we kept linking pinkies?"

"Mhm," I said, my breath not fully caught, either.

"Well it reminded me of when we were little and would share secrets." She smiled.

I returned it. I knew we had been on the same page about that. "Me too."

"And I wanted to promise you…" she linked our pinkies, "…that I'm your's, forever. And that I will protect you, and us, no matter what."

I smiled wider and planted a kiss on her lips. "So do I."

She beamed but frowned soon after. "Well I better be going before your dad comes in here and drags me out."

I sighed. "Yeah, you probably should."

"Are you ready for tomorrow…to face the kids at school?" She watched my expression carefully.

"Sure." I put on a smile. "As long as you're by my side, it will be no problem."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

But I didn't know if that was true or not. I felt like it was when I had said it, but that was when Lilly was there. When she's there, everythin's great. As soon as she left, however, reality set in. Tomorrow, I had to face the kids at school…Them…the _enemy_.

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**Well that was shorter than I planned, but it was still better than nothing!**

**Read and review! Reviews motivate me. hint**


	13. Bathroom Scene

**So….School started. I have hours of homework every night. I will not be able to update as often. Sometimes I have 4 hours of work and then I just don't feel like doing anything. So I hope you forgive me, but with the mental stress from school I don't know how good these would be if I rushed them so please just be patient so I can have time to make these good.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

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**Lilly's POV**

Today was the day that Miley had to face our classmates. It was going to be so tough for her. But at least she would have me there by her side. And Jake, but he doesn't count because…well because he's Jake.

I could only imagine what rumors had started to swirl around about my girlfriend. Wow it felt good saying that! My_ girlfriend_. Okay, focusing now. I was really worried about Miley. What if she couldn't take it? All those eyes looking at her and the whispers she knew had to be about her. She was used to it as Hannah Montana, but not as Miley Stewart. What if it was too much for her? Would we ever be able to come out if she didn't get through this?

I took my eyes off the road and looked at her sitting in the passenger seat of my car(Peggy, remember?) as we made our way to the hellhole that is high school. Her face was white and nervous. She was fidgeting with her fingers.

"You okay, babe?" I asked, reaching out and taking her hand before she could rip one of her fingers off.

She looked at me, her cheeks flushed from my simple, little touch. That normally would bring a smile to my face and joy to my heart, but not when she was that nervous.

"Yeah." She put on a smile…a fake one. "I'm perfectly cool."

I frowned and turned back to the road. She knew better than to lie to me. She knew that I could usually tell when she was lying and how much I hated when she did it. But she did it anyway. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her looking down at our intertwined hands sadly.

"Feeling guilty for lying to me, Miley Ray?"

She didn't answer for a few seconds, then she said, "I don't know if I can do this, Lils."

I panicked a bit. What did she mean she couldn't do this? School? Living? _Us_?!

"Do what?" I stopped at a red light.

"Face them," she said so low I could barely hear her.

Well that's a relief. At least it wasn't us.

"Miley," I turned in my seat and took her face in my hands. "You _can_ do this, alright? What they say or think doesn't matter. They are worthless, they are nothing. But you, you're so amazing. You're Hannah Fucking Montana for crying out loud! You have to deal with leading a double life, being you and the most famous popstar on the planet!" I took a breath. "You are strong and you can get through this. I know you can. And don't worry. I'll be right there by your side the whole time."

She smiled a little. "Thanks, Lil."

I grinned and started to pull her face closer to mine.

"Bammmmmppp!" Someone blew their horn at us. The light had changed green while we were having our moment.

I instantly let go of Miley and thanked God that my rear window was tinted so no one had seen that.

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**Miley's POV**

Too soon, we were at school. Before Lilly and I even got out of the car, I felt like there was thousands of eyes on me. And when we got out of the car, it was worse.

Now we stood at the front doors of the school. I contemplated running the other way and was actually about to turn back to do so when I felt someone's pinky hooking with mine. I looked down and followed the arm up to find the owner of the pinky. Lilly, of course.

She smiled. "I promised, remember?"

I nodded, smiling a little myself.

We walked in together. The hallway instantly fell silent. It was classic and right out of a bad teen movie. And just like in the movies, everyone was staring at me.

"Come on, Miles." Lilly grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards our lockers.

That's when the whispers started.

"Is that her?"

"Yeah. That's her."

"Did she really fuck Jake Ryan?"

"Yup."

"What a whore."

"Slut."

"I heard she gave him a blow job too."

"Gross."

"Don't get too close. She might give you an STD or something."

"Did you hear she's pregnant?"

"I heard she's having twins."

"Well I heard Jake isn't the father."

"Who is?"

"One of the football players."

"One of them?"

"No one knows. She did them _all_."

That's only a third of the comments I heard just walking down the hallway to my locker. It took everything I had to fight back the tears.

"Don't listen to them," Lilly said as she opened her locker. "You know it's all lies."

"Not all of them." I frowned and threw my locker door open, snatching my books out. "The part about fucking Jake is true."

"So what?" She looked at me. "Lots of people our age have had sex and lots of people younger than us, too. It's not like you're the only one."

"Yeah, but I'm the only one who's had it publicized." I slammed my locker door shut.

Then I saw Jake, the last person I wanted to see at the moment, approaching us.

"H-hey, Miles…Lilly," he said when he'd reached us.

The hall was silent again. It was very eerie.

"Hi," I mumbled in reply.

Lilly didn't even say anything, just rolled her eyes.

"How are you holding up?" Jake asked.

"How do you think?" I gestured to our gawking classmates.

"Oh." He looked down for a second then looked back up. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "Don't be. It's not your fault."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

**Lilly's POV**

We were in the middle of the hall and everyone was staring at Miley and Jake talking. Couldn't they have some fucking privacy?! And what the hell, Miley?! Of course it's the asshole's fault!

"You know, this affects me too," Jake told Miley. "Not just you."

Oh fuck no! He did not just go there! Yeah, sure, it affected him! But it made him look good! Everyone thought he was "the man." And Miley was just a slut to everyone else.

Anger boiled inside me and a red haze covered my vision. I hated Jake Ryan. I hated him! I had to get him out of the hallway so I could smack him across his ugly pretty face.

"You. Come. With. Me. Now," I said through gritted teeth and grabbed Jake by the shirt.

I ignored the "oh's" coming from the crowd and dragged him into the girls' bathroom. Miley followed us helplessly. As the door swung shut, I heard someone fake cough "gang bang."

I threw Jake up against a stall and looked directly into his pale eyes. "Miley, lock the door," I said, not taking my eyes off the actor. My hands were balled up into to first where I held him by the shirt. The skin on them was stretched so tight they were white.

Miley, wide eyed and frightened, obeyed and locked the door.

"You fucking bastard," I spat in Jake's face. "You stupid piece of shit."

"Lilly, calm down…" Miley said from behind me. She sounded so distant.

I loosened my grip on Jake's shirt a bit but I was still seeing red.

"Lils…" Miley placed a hand on my shoulder and some of my anger seemed to melt away. "Come on, let Jake go."

"No," I hissed. "He needs to know that he is _not_ a victim in this situation."

"I agree," she said. "But here and now is neither the time nor the place."

"Fine." I still hadn't looked away from Jake. "You. After school. My house."

He gulped. "I-I don't know where you-"

"Shut up! Miley, write down the address for him."

"Please?" Her voice trembled a bit.

I looked at her. She seemed a bit frightened. I smiled comfortingly at her. "Please," I said quietly.

She nodded and got her notebook out of her bag and a pen and wrote down my address.

"As I was saying…" I looked back to Jake and took a breath to calm myself. "My house. 4 o'clock. Be there. And if you're not, I _will_ find you."

Jake nodded, his face pale. I released him and took a few steps back. Miley slipped the address into his shaky right hand.

"Now go." I pointed to the door. "And don't talk to either of us for the rest of the day until you get to my house."

He ran to the door, trying to push it open but ran into it since it was locked. He turned the lock and tried to push it open again. He hit his head and fell to the floor.

"Pull, moron!" I shouted at the confused actor.

He jumped up and pulled the door open. Teenagers fell through the open doorway. They must have been listening from the other side. Jake jumped over them to get out.

_Damn why did I have to tell him how to get the door open? I liked seeing him hurt himself…._

But the sight of him fleeing did bring a smug smile to my face.

- - - - - - - - -

**Miley's POV**

Lilly seriously scared the shit out of me. What the hell got into her?! Why had she threatened Jake like that?

_Because she loves you…_

I shook my head.

_No, Miles. It's too soon for 'I love you's'. You just started dating yesterday, remember?_

Whatever. Lilly's threats worked. Jake hadn't even glanced at either of us once that morning.

Lilly looked at me, though. She kept looking over at me to make sure I wasn't crying or something.

I didn't cry. But boy did I want to! I constantly heard whispers. And they were worse because of the scene Lilly made that morning.

"Did you see Truscott pull Jake into the girls' bathroom?!"

"Yeah and then the whore followed."

"We had a gang bang right here at Sea View High!"

"Mustn't have been too good considering the look on Jake's face when he ran out of there."

It was a miracle I made it to lunch. Lilly and I were sitting alone. The occasional paper projectile was thrown at my head every now and then. Every time, Lilly would throw them back, twice as hard. It was times like those that I really missed Oliver…more than usual.

"Hey, slut," a voice from behind me said.

I turned around and groaned. Amber was the one who had spoken. Ashley was standing right beside her.

"When's the baby due?" Amber smirked.

"Or _babies_?" Ashley chimed in with a laugh.

I shook my head and turned around.

"Mood swings," Amber said loudly. "Common in pregnancies."

I folded my arms on the table and buried my head in them, the tears I had been fighting all day stinging my eyes as the cafeteria filled with laughter. I felt a warm hand on my back, rubbing in small circles. Lilly.

"Just fuck off, Amber," She said.

"And who's gonna make me?" Amber snorted.

"Me," a deep yet familiar voice said. Definitely not Lilly.

I picked my head up to see who it was. I blinked a few times to clear my vision. When I could see again, I couldn't believe my eyes.

Jake was standing between me and Lilly and Amber and Ashley.

"What did you say, Jakey?" Amber asked, shocked.

"I said I am going to make you stop fucking with Miley." He puffed out his chest to make himself look bigger.

"Why?" She snorted. "You didn't."

"Shut up, bitch!" He yelled. "Just shut up! You don't know anything. Now stop messing with Miley!"

"Or what?"

"Or I swear to God you're going to be sorry."

"Don't mess with me, Jakey," Amber pointed a finger in his face."

"No, Amber." He glared at her. "Don't mess with _me_. Or Miley. Or Lilly. And don't you dare start another rumor about any of us. Nothing happened in that bathroom today and you know it."

"Do I?" She growled

"Yeah. You do." Jake pushed her finger away from his face.

She glared at him for a moment then turn on her expensive stiletto heel and stomped off, Ashley trailing after her.

"And don't call me Jakey!" Jake yelled to her retreating back.

A slow clap broke the silence that had settled on the cafeteria. Jake smiled and winked at me. I returned both then looked at Lilly. Her jaw was hanging open and her blue eyes were puzzled. I pushed her jaw back up and smiled at her. She returned it, still a bit dazed.

"And that goes for all of you!" Jake yelled once the clapping died down. I turned my attention back to him. "Anyone messing with Miley…or Lilly…will have to answer to me."

The cafeteria was silent again as over a hundred heads nodded at Jake's command. Wow funny how there's never a teacher around…

Well I knew the talk with Jake at Lilly's was sure as hell going to be interesting.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

**I love this chapter so much LOL. So anyway, yeah school sucks ass. Don't desert me because of it, please!**


	14. Jake At Lilly's House

**I am trying my hardest to get these chapters up, so please forgive me.**

**Disclaimer: Too lazy to come up with something sarcastic, so see earlier chapters.**

- - - - - - - - - -

**Lilly's POV**

Miley and I were in my living room waiting for Jake to arrive so I could beat the shit out of him…I mean talk to him…

I was lounging on the couch while Miley was pacing across the room. It was only a matter of time before she wore a pathway into the floor. I didn't like her doing this. Our time before Jake arrived could be better spent kissing or something fun like that.

"Are you going to sit down and chill out or keep making a rut in my floor?" I asked with a smirk.

She ignored me and kept walking. I sighed and rolled my eyes. She was taking it too seriously. It's not like I was going to kill the guy or anything like that. What? Don't give me that look. I wasn't! Yet…

I reached across the coffee table and grabbed Miley's hand as she passed. She looked down at me. I smiled a small smile.

"Worrying yourself sick isn't going to make this talk go any easier."

"But Lilly, I can't sit still!" She protested. "I have too much nervous energy."

"I have a good way to get rid of it." I smirked and pulled her hand.

She rolled her eyes with a smiled and jumped over the coffee table. She lay on top of me and looked into my eyes.

"And what would that be?" She giggled a bit.

"This…" I started to lean in closer to her.

The doorbell rang, signaling Jake's arrival.

"Sweet niblets!" Miley grumbled and climbed off me.

I chuckled to myself, glad that I wasn't the only one irritated by the interruption. I gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"Later, Sweety." I cupped her cheek in my hand and she smiled.

"Fine, get the door."

I went into the hallway and wiped the smile that I was wearing off my face. I did _not _want that boy thinking I was going to be nice to him.

"H-hey, Lilly," Jake said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand when I opened the door.

"Jake," I said with a nod, my tone as cold as the icy glare I was giving him.

"Well…Are you gonna invite me in?" He looked at me expectantly. "You know, since you invited-no, ordered- me over."

I sighed and took a step back to let him through the doorway. "If you insist."

"I do," he said and walked into my house.

He wiped his shoes on the mat without even being asked-or as he would say, ordered- to. So he has manners, big whoop!

I led him to the living room where Miley was waiting, chewing on her lip. She looked so cute when she did that. I went over and sat beside her. I wanted to grab her hand but then I remembered that Jake didn't know about us and he was one of the last people we could trust with that secret.

Jake was standing awkwardly in the center of the room.

"Sit down, Boob," I told him, earning a look from Miley.

"What Lilly means is, 'Please sit down, Jake.'" She said.

"No, Lilly means what she said." I frowned.

"Lilly!" Miley hissed at me, causing me to pout. I hated being fussed at, especially by my girlfriend.

Jake chuckled slightly and sat down in the armchair across from us. I frowned deeper and fixed him with an even colder glare than before. No one laughed at me, especially not for being fussed at. When he saw how I was looking at him, he wiped that stupid grin off his face and gulped.

"Lilly, stop looking at Jake like that," Miley said.

_No. You are not the boss of me,_ I thought and kept looking at him, deepening my frown even more.

Miley grabbed my chin with her forefinger and thumb and made me look at her. "Lilly…" She had an eyebrow raised. "If you're a good little girl, I'll reward you later."

Jake snorted and I rolled my eyes. Did she have to make me look like a child?

"Fine," I said through clenched teeth, mostly because I was really interested in finding out what the reward would be.

"So," Jake said, rubbing his hands together. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about."

"Well," Miley started. "I…uh…" She paused. "I don't know, exactly. Lilly was the one who wanted to talk to you." She looked at me. "Lilly, why did you want to talk to Jake?"

"Because I want to let some of the air out of his ego balloon."

Jake leaned back in the armchair and sighed. "Oh _this_ should be good." He looked at me. "Let me guess, I'm a dick. I don't deserve to have either of you talking to me. I should crawl under a rock and die. The only reason people like me is because I am famous. I have no talent and you don't know what people see in me. Is that about right?"

I nodded. "Yes, but there's more."

"More?!" Jake asked, his eyes wide. "How can there be more? I just nailed myself and there's more?!"

"Yes, there is," I said, standing up. "First of all, all the stuff you said was true. Second, how dare you think you are a victim in the rumor situation! Sure, you are involved, but you look good. When guys have sex, it makes them look good. When girls have sex, they look like whores and their reputations are shot to Hell! So you are getting attention from Miley's slip up, but it's all positive. She's the one getting the negative attention." Jake opened his mouth to say something, but I continued. "Sure, it might be leaked to a magazine, but that's still publicity for you!" He closed his mouth, his protest shot down. "Jake, people like you. You are popular and you have more control over the school than Amber and Ashley do. If you had just opened your mouth and stuck up for Miley from the beginning, the rumors wouldn't be as bad. But because you avoided it, it got way out of hand! Where the hell did you get the balls to say what you said at lunch, anyway?!"

He looked at me. "Oh, you're letting me talk now?"

"Yes!" I screamed at him.

"I realized you were right," he said quietly.

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"What you said in the bathroom. You were right." He looked from me, to Miley, then back to me. "And I had to do something. It was the right thing to do. I couldn't just sit there and let Amber and Ashley-well mostly Amber- bash you guys. I am partially responsible for this mess and I am finally going to take some responsibility."

"Right," I cleared my throat. "Well what about what you did to Miley after that night. You never called. What if she had been pregnant?!"

"She wasn't."

"But what if she was?! You never called her!" I was screaming again.

"She could have called me." He frowned.

"He's right, Lils," Miley said, speaking for the first time in a while. "I didn't exactly call him either."

"Yeah." Jake nodded. "And if she was pregnant and had called me, I would have supported whatever decision she made and paid for everything."

"Oh yeah you say that now!" I snorted.

"Whatever. You're just looking for anything to call me out on."

My hands were trembling. I wanted to slap him. I was _going_ to slap him. I took a step forward to do so when a hand caught mine. It was Miley's.

"Calm down, Lilly," she said quietly. "I know you're angry with Jake for a lot of things, but he has a boy brain, you have to give the guy a break."

"Thank y- Hey! What's that mean?" Jake frowned and looked at Miley.

I chuckled and sat down, glad to have Miley somewhat on my side again.

"A boy brain," Miley stated. "It means you think like a boy."

"Is that a good thing?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Not really," Miley and I said in union.

Jake frowned and looked at his feet. Miley and I giggled a bit.

"Jake, could you excuse us for a second?" Miley asked. "I need to have a quick conversation with Lilly."

"Yeah," he mumbled.

I gave my girlfriend a confused look and she pulled me out of the room.

"What kind of a conversation?" I asked her when we got into the kitchen which was the only room out of earshot from the living room on the first story of my house.

"I think we should tell Jake," she said.

"Tell Jake what?" I asked, hopping up on the counter. Mom would have killed me had she been home.

"Tell him about _us_," she said it slowly and emphasized the last word.

My eyes got wide. "Miley, no! Are you crazy?!"

Jake was the last person we could trust with that secret. I didn't trust that boy farther than I could throw him. Okay, I could probably throw him pretty far, especially if I was pissed at him like I had been earlier. Well I didn't trust him farther than Miley could throw him. Yeah, that worked. Point is, if he knew, it would be all over school before homeroom the next day.

"Lils, I think we can trust him." She walked over and placed her body between my open legs.

"I don't," I said, shaking my head.

"I know you don't, Baby." She lifted her hand and started stroking my cheek softly. Oh God I loved that. "Just hear me out," she said when she saw me opening my mouth to protest. I snapped it shut. "When I talked to him in the library, he really was sorry for not calling. I could see it in his face. And the reason he didn't call was because he didn't want to tell me that it was like fucking his sister. Not a good reason, but hey, he has a boy brain after all!" I smiled at this, and she continued. "And then he was joking around when I told him he wasn't good and he asked if I was a lesbian. I got really defensive and told him no. Then he got serious and told me it would be okay if I was. Lilly, I think he would be okay with it. I think we can trust him."

"Well you're not exactly the best judge of character," I said, frowning. "Miley, you're really naïve. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"And what about you?"

"I don't care what happens to me. It's you I'm worried about." I sighed. "I just don't trust him."

"Then trust _me_, Lilly." She grabbed my face with both of her hands and locked my gaze with her own. Her eyes were pleading. "Trust _me._"

"I've got a bad feeling about this, Miley…"

"Please, Lilly?" She pouted, a few tears in her eyes. "He kept the Hannah secret. I'm sure he'll keep this one."

I sighed and nodded. "Okay, Miley. I trust you. Let's tell the buffoon."

She smiled. "Can you at least try to be friends with him?"

I frowned and slid off the counter, into her arms. "I am _not_ replacing Oliver with Jake! Or anyone else!"

"No one's asking you to, Baby." She placed a kiss on my forehead. "But we could always use a few more friends."

"I guess," I grumbled.

There was no way in Hell Jake Ryan was going to be okay with his ex-girlfriend and first sexual partner dating another girl. Why couldn't Miley see that?

**  
Miley's POV**

Lilly and I walked back to the living room, walking hand-in-hand. Jake looked up when we walked in the room and smiled. Honestly, how could Lilly not trust him? Sure, he didn't have the best track record but he had gotten a lot better over the years.

"Jake, Lilly and I have something we want to tell you." I looked over at her. Her face was tense. I gave her hand a squeeze and she looked at me, smiling a bit.

"Oh I think I know what it is," Jake said smugly, wearing a smug smile to match.

"Y-you do?" I asked.

"Sure." He shrugged. "You want to tell me you're sorry for the way you treated me. It's cool. I get it."

Lilly snorted. "I am _not_ sorry for the way I treated you. In fact, I wish I would have been worse to you!"

"Lilly…" I warned.

"Well it's true." She whined and I had to smile at this.

"Well uh…What is it you want to tell me, then?" Jake asked, scratching his head.

"Remember in the library when you asked me if I was a lesbian?" I licked my lips.

"Yeah…"

"Well, I'm not. And neither is Lilly, but…" I took a breath. "We're dating."

"Dating?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"You said you'd be okay with it," I reminded him.

"You're bi?" Now he was catching on.

Lilly and I both nodded.

He didn't say anything. Instead, he stood up and crossed the room towards us. He was so much taller and towered over us. I gulped. Maybe Lilly was right. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea.

"I knew it!" He chuckled and put his arms around us, pulling us both into a hug.

"You did?" I asked when he released us.

"Well I suspected." He smiled. "You just confirmed it."

"Wha-How?" Lilly asked, wearing that confused face I love so much.

"The way you look at each other…" He smiled again. "And I was being honest that day in the library. I am okay with this."

"Well I'm glad that you accept us, but you can't tell anyone, Jake!" I said seriously. "If my dad found out, I would be so dead!"

He nodded. "I understand. You're secret's safe with me."

A little while later, Lilly and I were walking Jake to the door.

"Thanks for coming, Jake," I told him. I nudged Lilly in the stomach with my elbow.

"Ouch," she said. "I mean, yeah. Thanks."

"No problem." He laughed. "Hey, can I watch you guys make out before I go?" So Jake Ryan. Glad to see his boy brain was still working.

"Bye, Jake!" I said, pushing him out the door and closing it. Lilly locked it.

**  
Lilly's POV**

Miley and I climbed the stairs to my room after kicking Jake out.

"I can't believe he wanted to watch us make out!" She said, dropping down on my bed.

"I can," I said, dropping down beside her. "He is _Jake_, after all."

"Yeah, well no one gets to watch that." She smiled.

"Except my mom when she barges in." I frowned, remembering the previous day.

"Well she's not home now." Miley raised an eyebrow and smirked.

I licked my lips. "No, she's not."

Miley smiled and scooted closer to me.

"Wait…" I got up and crossed the room and locked my bedroom door. "Just in case," I said, my back still to Miley. When I turned around, I found that she had followed me and was not even four inches away.

"Good idea," she said. "Now you can have your reward."

She gently pushed me against the door and pressed her body against mine. Our lips found each other and became reacquainted. I sucked her bottom lip as her hands went to my hair and my arms slid around her waist. She started walking backwards to my bed and I followed. I softly pushed her down on it and got on top of her, straddling her hips. I reclaimed her lips again and nibbled on the bottom one softly. I felt her tongue slide across and granted her entry into my mouth. We fought for dominance but she quickly gave up. I felt like she was letting me win, but I didn't mind much. I massaged her tongue with mine and grinded on her as gently as possible.

Then her phone went off. She broke the kiss.

"Don't answer that," I said, my forehead resting against hers.

She rolled her eyes and pushed me off her so she could retrieve her phone from her front jean pocket.

"Hello," she answered. "Oh, hey Daddy…Why am I out of breath?…Uh…Lilly was chasing me because I stole her cookie."

I giggled slightly and she held a finger up, telling me to be quiet.

"Yes, that's the truth…You know how Lilly is with her cookies…Oh…Okay…I'll be home in a bit." She hung up the phone.

"You're leaving?" I asked, pouting.

"I have to Hun, Daddy says." She stood up and went over to the mirror, trying to make herself presentable again.

I went over and wrapped my arms around her waist, resting my head on her shoulder. She smiled at me in the mirror and I returned it.

"We look good together." I observed.

She turned her face towards me, her nose brushing against my cheek, causing me to shiver. "Mhmm, we sure do," she said against my cheek before placing a soft kiss there.

After a few more quick kisses, I finally let Miley go home. I missed her already. I started texting her as soon as she was out of my sight. The whole time I was smiling. Honestly, I was glad that the talk with Jake had went well.

But every time I thought about him knowing our secret, I got a feeling of dread in the pit of my something. Nothing good could come of that.

- - - - - -

**Alrighty that's the new chapter. Review, please!**


	15. Honesty

**I am super sorry I have not updated in a while! Blame my English teacher.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana. And I do not want to.**

**Wanna know something cool? I totally listened to "I Don't Think About It" while typing this. That's right, I am a HUGE Emily Osment fan ;)**

- - - - - -

**Lilly's POV**

It was the day after we told Jake our secret. I was sitting in my last period chewing on my nails. It was a new nervous trait I had picked up only recently. Anyway… So far, it seemed like Jake had kept his word. No one had asked me if I was dating Miley, so I assumed no one had put that idea in their heads(not today, I mean). And his threat seemed to have worked, too. Not a single person called Miley a name. Sure, they still stared at her, but that was better than them talking about her right in front of her face! There was no doubt in my mind they were talking behind her back, though… Especially Amber and Ashley.

I was so worried there was going to be some kind of mob or something waiting for us in the parking lot. I could imagine the angry faces…Everyone holding torches and pitchforks, getting ready to kill the lesbians.

Okay, so maybe I was worrying too much, but I have always been paranoid…

"Lils?" Miley asked, shaking my arm.

"Yeah?" I looked at her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to sit here all day, or would you like to go home?"

"The bell rang?"

"Yeah…" She laughed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I lied.

"Lilly," Miley said, kneeling on the side of my desk. "What's wrong?"

I looked around to make sure we were the only ones left in the room. We were. Even our teacher had ditched. "I'm afraid Jake told our secret and there will be angry mob waiting for us in the parking lot."

Miley bit her lip trying to hold back a giggle.

"It's not funny!" I whined and shoved her shoulder lightly.

She fell over onto her butt and laughed. I glared at her.

"I-I'm sorry, Lilly…" She tried to catch her breath. "It's just really cute how paranoid you are."

"Glad I could entertain you," I grumbled and stood up, grabbing my bag, and walking out the door. I didn't bother looking back. But, Miley had come after me.

She grabbed my arm. "Hey," she said softly. "Look at me."

I stopped glaring at the floor and looked into her eyes.

"Lils, I know you're scared, but Jake won't tell." She put her hands on my shoulders.

"How do you know?" I frowned.

"Because I texted him last night," she said with a mischievous smile, "and told him that if he breathed a word of what we told him to anyone, I would tell everyone how small his dick is."

My jaw dropped. Miley smirked and pushed back into place with her fingers, turned on her heel, and started walking off towards the lockers. All I could do was stare at her back…well, ass, but you get it… This was a side of Miley I had never seen before. She was mischievous, she was bold, she was…sexy. I liked it.

She turned around and cocked an eyebrow. "Are you going to get your stuff out your locker or just keep staring at my ass?"

She knew me too well. I laughed, shaking my head a bit, and ran to catch up with her. She linked her arm with mine.

- - - - -

**Miley's POV**

Why did Lilly have to be so adorable?

It made hiding our relationship unbearable. All day I wanted to grab her and kiss her. But I couldn't. Life sucks sometimes…

When we finally got to Peggy, we were the last ones in the parking lot. Lilly unlocked the doors and we threw our stuff in the back. I got in the passenger seat. It was incredibly hot inside her car. Why did her parents have to buy her a black car?!_ Because it matched her mood at the time her parents bought it…_

As soon as Lilly started the car, I cranked the AC and the radio. Then I took a look around the parking lot. We were all alone. Not a soul in sight. Just me and Lilly. Hmm….

"Hey, Lils?" I smirked.

"Huh?" She turned to me.

I put my hand on the back of her neck and pulled her face towards mine. I gave her soft peck on the lips first, then another, and then I firmly pressed my lips against hers. Oh how I had missed the taste of her apple lip gloss.

I pulled away and looked at her. She still had her eyes closed. I smiled to myself and her eyes popped open.

"What the hell, Miley?!" Her cheeks were flushed. "First you want us to be a secret and then you kiss me in public?! Are you _trying_ to get caught?!"

"Lilly," I sighed. "Look around."

She turned from me and did. She looked at me again. "Okay?"

"We're alone, dummy!" I waved my arm to the empty parking lot.

"Oh…" She said as she caught on. Then she frowned. "Hey!"

"What?"

"Don't call me dummy!" She pouted.

"Sorry, baby…"

"Baby…" She smiled. "Now there's a name you _can_ call me."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Drive. Home. Now."

"Fine…"

The drive to my house consisted of me and Lilly singing like fools to whatever played on the radio, mostly me though. She was self conscious about her voice, even though she had gotten much better since the last time she tried singing for anyone. That and the fact that she hardly knew any of the songs on the radio caused me to sing by myself. But I didn't care. Hearing Lilly laugh at my obnoxiousness was enough to make me sing forever. I loved her laugh.

Too soon, we were at my house.

I sighed and unbuckled my seat belt. "Well we got here too fast."

"I drove fifteen miles per hour under the speed limit," Lilly said with a shrug.

Woah, that was rare! Lilly never drove the speed limit, let alone _under_ it. "Uh…You okay?"

"Yeah." She had that cute confused look on her face. "Why?"

"You _never _go the speed limit…or under it." I put my hand on her forehead. "Are you sick?"

She laughed. "No."

"Then why did you drive so slow?"

"To spend more time with you." She smiled sheepishly, and I just had to smile back.

"Well you know, you could come inside," I said, gesturing to my house.

She raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?"

"No?" I frowned. "Why would I be?"

"Oh I don't know!" She sighed. "Maybe because lately your dad has totally hated me for no good reason whatsoever!"

"He has been mean to you, hasn't he?" I agreed.

"Ya think?!"

I smirked a bit. "Well…He's not home."

"How do you know?" She looked doubtful.

"Because his car isn't in the driveway." I pointed to his empty parking spot.

Lilly nodded. "Okay, but where is he and how long will he be gone?"

I shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. You coming in, or what?"

"I don't know, Miles…"

"Please?" I batted my eyelashes and pouted, giving her the best puppy dog look I had given anyone in a while.

"That is not fair!" She frowned and crossed her arms.

I kept the looking going and added a small whine.

"Fine!" She sighed and turned the car off.

I squealed with glee and jumped out, grabbing Lilly's arm and pulling her up the walkway. We made our way up to my room. I closed and locked the door then turned to look at her. She raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Okay, I'm in your house," she said with slight boredom in her voice. "What now?"

"I think you know what comes next." I smiled and started walking towards her slowly.

"Oh no." She gasped and jumped up on my bed, laughing.

"Oh yes." I grinned evilly. "Now come here." I pointed to the spot at my feet.

"I'm sorry, come where?" She smirked.

"Come here…" The directions weren't that hard were they?

"So let me get this straight, you want me to come there?" She pointed to the spot I was pointing at and smirked even more.

"Yeah?" Okay was there something I wasn't getting?

She laughed and shook her head. "Never mind, you don't get it."

It clicked in my brain. "Ew!" I squealed. "Lilly, you're so gross sometimes!"

She shrugged and gave me an innocent look. "Whatever do you mean, Miley?"

"Just get your ass over here." I pointed to the spot at my feet again with a laugh.

"Yes Mam!" She saluted and jumped off my bed, landing at my feet.

"Was that necessary?"

She tapped her finger on her chin, pretending to think. "Yes, yes it was."

"Well then." I smirked.

"Are you gonna kiss me, or what?" Lilly whined.

"Okay, you big baby…" I smiled and slipped my arms around her neck.

"MILEY RAY STWEART GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" I heard Dad yell from downstairs.

Lilly groaned and made her way to my window.

"Where are you going?" I frowned.

"Sneaking out." She sighed. "No way I'm sticking around with him. Especially when he's in that mood."

"Lilly, he's already seen your car so he knows you're here," I said.

"And?" Damn her stubbornness.

"And if you sneak out, he will think we were up to something."

She raised an eyebrow. "We were."

"But we don't want him to know that!" I put my hands on my hips and fixed her with a look.

"Fine."

- - - -

**Lilly's POV**

Miley dragged me down the stairs. Mr. Stewart was waiting at the bottom. His face was red and you could see the veins popping out of his forehead. When he saw me at Miley's heels, I swear his face went from red to purple. I held back a smile.

"What is _she _doing here?" He nodded in my direction.

"She is Lilly, Dad," Miley said with the hint of a _duh_ in her voice. "Remember? My best friend."

"Whatever." He snorted and crossed his arms.

"Did you _want _something or did you just want to be rude and obnoxious to my friend?" Miley growled and put her hands on her hips.

"Don't use that tone with me!" Mr. Stewart's vein in his head throbbed.

"Then don't treat Lilly like that!" Damn, Miley's cute when she's defensive.

"This is my house, I will treat her however I want to!"

"I should go…" I mumbled and started heading for the door.

"Brilliant idea," Mr. Stewart said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Miley grabbed my arm. "No, Lilly. You're staying."

"Oh no she's not!" Miley's dad objected.

"Yes she is!" Miley yelled at the top of her lungs.

"MILEY RAY-"

"What the hell do you even want?! Miley screamed, pulling me closer to her.

Okay, when did Miley get so rebellious?

"I heard something at the store today," Mr. Stewart said. He glared at me for a second then focused his eyes on his daughter again.

"And that would be…?" Miley raised an eyebrow.

Mr. Stewart was quiet for a moment and then… "ARE YOU PREGNANT?!"

Miley gasped and I choked on my own spit.

"No! Who the hell told you that?!" Miley asked while patting my back lightly, trying to calm my coughing fit.

"The lady at the register. Her daughter goes to school with you."

"And you believed her?!" Miley gritted her teeth and fixed her father with a look that could kill. I know it would have killed me.

"Well yeah," Mr. Stewart frowned. "Since you never tell me anything!"

"Uh news flash, Dad…It's none of your business!" Miley rolled her eyes. "Besides, it's not true. That is just a rumor that _Amber and Ashley_ started."

At the mention of the twin witches' names, Mr. Stewart's expression went from rage to embarrassment. "Oh…So, you're not pregnant?"

"Duh," I mumbled.

Both Stewarts gave me a look. Miley's appreciation, her father's annoyance.

"And you're not having sex?" Mr. Stewart asked.

I held my breath. _Here we go again with the yelling_, I thought.

Miley was silent for a moment before answering, "No, Dad. I'm not _having _sex."

_Liar_, I thought with a small smirk.

"I can't believe you, Dad!" Miley shook her head. "Come on, Lilly. We're out of here." She headed for the door.

"Miles…" Mr. Stewart looked like a kid who had his candy stolen.

"No, Dad. I have _nothing_ to say to you." She looked at me. "Let's go, Lilly."

"Bye, Mr. S." I said and followed Miley out the door.

She was already in my car. I hopped in and looked at her. "Where to?"

"Anywhere but here." Was her reply.

I nodded and started the engine. Five minutes later we were at a secluded spot of the beach. We took our shoes and socks off and walked through the sand, hand in hand. We were silent. After a while we sat down and watched the waves. I felt like I should say something, but I couldn't think of anything.

"I can't believe him," Miley said, breaking the silence.

"I know." I sighed. "I heard you tell him that."

Miley continued to glare out into the ocean. "Why did he have to act like that? He could have been so much more rational about the whole thing. He didn't have to buy into a rumor. He should have come to me first."

I put my arm around her. It was all I could think to do to comfort her.

"If he didn't act like that then maybe I would tell him things," she said and rested her head on my shoulder. "But when he does crap like that, I can't tell him anything."

"Is that why you lied to him?" I asked.

She lifted her head and looked at me. "I didn't lie to him."

"Yeah you did. You told him you weren't having sex."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm _not _having sex."

"But…Jake." Okay, she confused me.

"No, Lilly," she said, shaking her head. "I _had _sex with Jake. I'm not _having_ sex with Jake or anyone else."

"Oh…I know that." I smirked.

"Shut up." She laughed and placed a soft kiss on my lips.

I scrunched up my nose and smiled at her.

"I wish I wouldn't have…" Miley said.

I looked at her, puzzled. "Wouldn't have what?"

"Had sex with Jake," she said, her eyes glassy with tears. "I wish I would have waited and had given my virginity to someone special, someone who deserved it."

I nodded sadly. I wished that too.

"I wish…" She gulped and looked directly into my eyes. "I wish it could have been you to take my virginity instead of Jake. Instead of anyone. You are the one who deserved it."

I stared at her. My jaw was probably hanging open a bit. But my heart was bursting with joy…and sorrow? I was thrilled that she cared that much, but it also killed me that she felt so guilty.

"I'm sorry," Miley said, probably taking my shocked state as a bad sign. "I shouldn't have said that. I-" She was cut off my me grabbing her face between my hands and kissing her fiercely.

"I wish that too," I said breathlessly when we pulled apart.

"Really?"

I nodded. "Really."

"Lilly, I-I…" Miley bit her lip.

"Yeah, Miles?" I stroked her cheek with my hand.

"I love you," she said softly with a hint of fear in her voice.

I always dreamed of someone saying those words to me and meaning them. People say them every day. They date and they say it because they think they have to. I had been told that by previous boyfriends. I had said it back, too. But I didn't mean it. I could tell they didn't really mean it. But when Miley said it, she said it differently. She said it with passion, even though she said it so quietly I almost didn't hear it over the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. She meant it. Now it was time for me to make a decision. Did I loved Miley? _Really_ love her? Sure, she was my best friend-turned girlfriend, so of course I loved her. But was I _in _love with her? Did I really, truly love Miley Ray Stewart?

"I love you too, Miles."

And truthfully, I knew I did. I wasn't just saying it. I was head over heals in love with the most amazing girl ever: Miley.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

**Ahh so I'm super sorry I took so long. I'm trying to juggle school, youtube, friends, MySpace, my love life, and all of my fan fictions. Honestly, I didn't plan for Miley and Lilly to confess their love for each other, but I just got to that part and I had to put it! What inspired me? Well I am gonna be honest. I have fallen in love. And it's hard. It hurts like hell yet makes me feel like anything is possible. That last bit of the story I took from my own personal feelings. So please don't be too mad at me for taking forever to update. I'm trying to figure things out in my life and I don't have time to update as often as I used to. I will try. But look on the bright side, I have been having awesome inspiration for this! So read and review, please. I promise to update as soon as I can!**


	16. Help

**First off I want to apologize greatly for the long wait. I never meant to keep you waiting this long. I had a huge issue with my mother and I was grounded and my significant other keeps me quite busy. I am happy to say, however, that the semester will be ending in a few weeks and I will get new classes and will not have as much homework so I will be able to update much more often…hopefully!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hannah Montana.**

- - - - - - - -

Lilly's POV

I love love. I really do. It's made my life so wonderful. Every time I looked at Miley, my heart skipped a few beats. She calmed me and just made getting up every day worth it.

Ever since that day at the beach, Miley and I had spent every waking moment talking. When I woke up, I would text her to tell her good morning. We would text until I got in my car to pick her up (I do not text and drive…That causes accidents.) We talked all the way to school. We talked in the halls and before classes. During classes, we passed notes. We talked on the way home and then once we got there we talked more. Then one of us would have to go home. So we would text. Later we would text or instant message or just talk on the phone. During dinner, I texted her the whole time. After I hung up with her at night, we would text for about an hour. Then I would sleep and when I woke up, we would start all over again. Really the only time we weren't talking was when we were sleeping or…kissing.

Somewhere in all that talking, we decided to tell Miley's dad about our relationship. We figured it was best after his outburst at the pregnancy rumor. Plus, this way we wouldn't have to hide our relationship anymore. We would just so we wouldn't be teased, but we didn't_ have_ to.

It brought some comfort that I wouldn't have to worry about Mr. Stewart bursting through the door every time I wanted to kiss my girlfriend.

I think I was handling the whole 'Telling Mr. Stewart' situation way better than Miley. She had been jumpy and nervous all day. She even screamed at the dismissal bell. She got a few stares for that one.

We were sitting on Miley's couch waiting for Mr. S. to get home. I looked over at Miley. She was getting paler by the minute.

"Miley," I said quietly.

She jumped a little. That's how nervous she was. "Hmm?"

"It's gonna be okay." I put my hand on her shoulder. "We're doing the right thing."

"Are we?" She bit her lip.

I nodded. "Yeah. You're going to feel so much better after telling him."

"But what if he hates me?" Miley questioned. "I can't handle him hating me, Lilly!"

"Hey, where's that tough Miley I saw last week?" I pushed some of the hair from her eyes. "That's the Miley you need to be right now. You have to be brave and stand your ground. As long as you do, no one can break you…Not even your dad."

She smiled faintly. A car door slammed. Miley's smiled vanished and she looked as if she had seen a ghost. I heard Mr. Stewart's cheerful whistling as he came up the walk. Miley jumped off the couch and went to run up the stairs. I jumped over the back and reached them before she could. I blocked her way.

"Miley, baby, you have to do this!" I said gently. "You might as well get it over with now."

She nodded sadly. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I am right."

The front door swung open and Mr. Stewart walked in. His cheerful whistling stopped as soon as he saw me.

"Hey, Miles." He greeted then nodded towards me and bitterly added, "Lilly."

"Hi, Mr. S." I said and nudged Miley to talk.

"Hey," she squeaked.

"You alright, Miley?" Mr. S. asked and took a seat in his chair.

"She's fine," I answered for her.

"I believe I asked my daughter, not you." He glared at me.

"Daddy, you're supposed to be nice to Lilly!" Miley said sternly.

I smiled. There's the Miley she needed to be.

- - - - -

**Miley's POV**

I was scared when my dad came in. But after seeing the way he treated Lilly, I wasn't scared anymore. For some odd reason he hated the love of my life and I just couldn't let that slide. What I needed to tell him would hurt him. Good. He deserved it.

I went over to the couch and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. "Dad, Lilly and I have something to tell you." I looked over at Lilly. She smiled and came over and sat beside me.

My father's face was hard as stone and his eyes were cold. He seemed to be holding his breath. I think he knew what was coming.

I reached over and took Lilly's hand. She gave mine a squeeze.

I took a deep breath. "Dad, Lilly and I are dating. I-I love her."

Dad only sat there and glared at us. My tough outer shell that I had gotten when he was being mean to Lilly was being broken by that look. I shrunk back into the couch. It's like things were moving in slow motion. Suddenly, my father was standing.

"MILEY RAY STEWART, NEVER IN MY LIFE HAVE I BEEN MORE DISGUSTED!" He yelled.

I shrunk back into the couch more. "But… Dad…I…" I couldn't even finish that….whatever that was.

"THIS IS SICK AND WRONG AND YOU KNOW IT! I RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THIS!" He pointed at me then Lilly. "AND YOU! I KNEW YOU WERE LIKE THIS. I KNEW YOU WOULD CORRUPT MY POOR, INNOCENT, DAUGHTER!"

That got me. Don't talk to my Lilly like that.

"Woah! Hold the _fuck_ up, old man!" I stood up. "Lilly did nothing to 'corrupt' me. I got feelings for here before I even knew she liked me!"

Dad shook his head. "I could tell she liked you. I saw it in her eyes. I tried to make her feel as unwelcome as possible so she would stay away, but that didn't work!" He shot a death look at Lilly.

The pieces came together in my head. They must have come together in Lilly's too.

"Hold on!" She stood up. "That's why you've been a complete dick to me?!"

My father took a step forward so he was glaring down at her.

"Sir…?" Lilly squeaked and sat back down.

"I can't believe you!" I yelled. "You are such an asshole! God, can't you just be happy for me?!"

"One," Dad said, holding up a finger, "you're not good enough to use the Lord's name. Two, I _can't_ and _won't_ accept this."

"You don't have to." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Because I'm gonna do whatever the fuck I want and if you don't like it, well that's your problem, not mine."

I never saw a more angry expression on my father's face.

"MILEY RAY, GO TO YOUR ROOM RIGHT NOW! I WILL COME UP THERE WHEN I HAVE CALMED DOWN AND KNOW WHAT THE HELL TO DO WITH YOU! AND TRUSCOTT," he turned to Lilly, "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE, YOU LITTLE ABOMINATION!"

Lilly nodded, wide eyed, stood up, and ran to the door.

"Lilly-" I started to run towards her.

Dad grabbed my arm, roughly, and held me back. "Don't even think about it," he snarled.

"It's gonna be okay, Miley." Lilly tried to smile, but failed. "I don't want you to get in anymore trouble because of my. I'll see ya." And with that, she was gone.

I faced my father. "I HATE YOU!" I spat.

"Good, then it's mutual." He frowned deeply and led me to the stairs. "In your room. NOW! And don't even think about sneaking out or sneaking her in." He pushed me forward, not softly, but enough to make me stumble.

I went up the stairs slowly, trying to piss him off more. The last thing I saw before I got to the top step was my dad taking a bottle of beer out the fridge.

- - - - - - - -

**Lilly's POV**

I was glad I had walked to Miley's house instead of driven. I was in no state of mind to drive.

Could Mr. Stewart really take her away from me? And he looked pretty vicious when I left. What if he hurt her? Nah, he wasn't the type. Then again, shit happens. You never know. I should have stayed. Sneaked back in her window and hid in the Hannah closet if he came in. I shouldn't have left. I'm a coward. I'll never forgive myself if something happens…

A bolt of lighting lit up the evening sky. A roar of thunder soon followed. Rain was coming. I could smell it.

I took off at a run, hoping I could get home before the rain started to fall.

I made it in record time, accomplishing my goal of staying dry.

"Woo, you have great timing, girl," my mom greeted as I walked through the door. As soon as I closed it, the rain began to fall.

I shrugged. "Just lucky, I guess."

"What's wrong, kiddo?" Mom asked, instantly picking up on my mood.

"I don't want to talk about it, Mom." I sighed and took my jacket off, hanging it on the hook by the door.

"Okay, Lils." She nodded. "Well, you missed dinner."

"I ate at…" I gulped, remembering what I had just witnessed. "Miley's."

"Alright. Well go get cleaned up and ready for bed." She kissed my forehead. "I know it's a weekend and everything, but don't stay up too late, k?"

I nodded and headed up the stairs. Isn't it great how my mom can understand when I just need space? Gotta love her.

- - - - -

**Miley's POV**

I was hoping Lilly would be in my room when I got up here, but she wasn't. That just made me more depressed.

It had started raining. It looked like there was a hurricane going on outside.

I bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. I tensed up, waiting for the thunder. Then I heard a bang from behind me that made me jump. That wasn't thunder. That was the sound of my father kicking my bedroom door open. I spun around, wide eyed. He stood in the doorway, his face hidden by a shadow.

"D-Dad?" I asked nervously.

He took a step, stumbling into the room. "Don't call me that," he slurred. I could smell his breath from where I stood. He'd had too much to drink. Way too much. When he looked at me, I could see that his eyes were glassy.

I gulped. "Are you angry?"

"I'm fucking pissed, Milly." He clenched his fists together.

"My name's Miley, Dad."

"I don't give a damn." He shook his head. "Ya know, I tried to raise ya right. Tried to teach ya how to be a good child of God," he rambled, showing just how drunk he was. "I am a great dad. And you," he pointed a finger at me, "you're a devil child. That's what you are."

"I am not!" I said a little too loudly.

"Don't talk back to me!" Dad yelled, delivering a slap across my face.

I stumbled backwards, a hand on my cheek and tears in my eyes. I was shocked. That was the first time he ever hit me.

"It's all her fault," Dad went on like he hadn't just hit me. "It's all that little slut's fault…"

"It is not Lilly's fault!" I yelled. That was a mistake.

"Don't ever say her name again!" Dad took two large steps towards me and pushed me as hard as he could.

I fell back, locking my hands back to catch myself. I felt something in my wrist pop and let out a sharp cry of pain. I thought it was broken.

"Shut up!" Dad yelled and delivered a kick right in my side-my left ribs, to be exact.

The wind was knocked out of me and I lay there, gasping for breath.

"Get your ass up!"

I knew it was no use arguing. That would have only brought more pain. I slowly stood up, holding my left side with my good hand.

"Dump Lilly," he growled.

I shook my head. "No, Dad. I can't do that."

"Whore!" Father Dearest rewarded me with another hit in the face.

That time he hit me in the eye. I felt tears coming out of the one he hadn't hit while the other throbbed.

"Dump her!" He yelled.

"NO, I LOVE HER!" I screamed.

This earned me another hit, this time in the mouth. I felt my teeth enter my lip and tasted the blood that flowed into my mouth. I swallowed, the taste of rust going all the way down my throat. And he didn't stop there. Dad shoved my against the wall, my head hitting. I reached back and whimpered. My fingers were wet. I brought them back and looked at them. It took me a while to focus because by this point I was dizzy, but I could see the red that covered my fingers. With my blurry vision, I was able to see Dad bringing his fist back again.

I ducked and he hit the wall. Then he let out a grunt of pain.

I did the only thing I could think of doing. I reached in my pocket and got my cell out. I couldn't decided who I should call first, the police or Lilly. My decision didn't matter because Dad hit me in the back of the head with something so hard it knocked me to the floor. My phone flew out of my hand and bounced under the bed.

"Lilly!" I screamed desperately. I prayed she was outside and could get help. I knew it was a long shot, but I had to try.

"Don't say her name ever again!" Dad yelled.

I looked at him. He looked deranged. He also had a square, wooden box in his hand. I knew what it was, but I couldn't identify it at the time. Whatever it was, he'd hit me over the head with it and now it was covered in my blood.

"You disgust me." Dad sneered. Then he turned on his heel and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

I turned my head to the side and spit out a mouthful of blood. Then I scanned my room for something I could hold to my head to stop the bleeding from there. All I found within reach was a shirt. It would have to do. I grabbed it and pressed it to my head. I needed to get out of there. I needed to get somewhere safe. But I couldn't move. I needed help.

I looked around the room for something, anything that I could use to get help. Nothing was within my reach, including my phone, which was still under the bed.

I groaned and pressed the shirt harder to my head. Then my eyes landed on a picture of Lilly. It was my favorite. I can't even describe how beautiful she looked. Even with my blurred and distorted vision I could see her obvious beauty.

I smiled and said softly, "My Lilly." And then the room did a flip and everything went black.

- - - - - - - - -

**Lilly's POV**

Miley hadn't called. I was beginning to get even more worried than I had been when I got home. I started shaking and I couldn't control it. I felt so anxious. I was starting to scare myself. I tried to get on the computer to look up shaking, but I couldn't keep my hands steady enough to even get on the search engine. I would just have to check it later when I knew Miley was safe.

- - - - - - -

**Miley's POV**

I opened my eyes slowly, every part of my body screaming in pain. All I saw was one big blur. I blinked a few times until just the edges were fuzzy but at least I could see.

I got up slowly, groaning in pain the whole time. I wondered how long I had been unconscious. It was still dark out so at least I had that going for me. The blood on my hand was still damp in one place. That had to be a good sign. A strange one, but a sign. I knew what I had to do. I had to pack a little bit of clothes, and I had to get out of the damn house, quickly.

I reached under the bed and got my phone, shoving it in my pocket.

Ten minutes later, I had everything I needed packed. I dumped the rope ladder over the edge of my balcony and went down it.

Then I was on the road, running as fast as I could. Everything on my body protested. But I had to get to safety. I just had to. Especially before Dad realized I was gone.

And then, all of a sudden, there I was. Standing at the Truscott's door.

- - - - - -

**Lilly's POV**

My phone started ringing. I jumped to answer it. Miley's name was on the caller I.D.

I hit the accept button. "Miley, thank God. Are you okay?"

"N-not really." Miley said, her voice sounding very small and tired.

"Stay where you are," I said, standing up. "I'm coming get you."

"Lils, you don't need to." She paused. "I'm already at your house."

"Huh?"

"Just come to the front door and let me in, please."

I threw my phone and my bed and sprinted down the stairs. I flung the door open. My jaw dropped to the ground.

Even in the dim light, I could tell Miley was a total mess. She had a black eye and blood was dried onto her face. She even had blood in her hair.

"What happened?" I asked, my eyes filling with tears.

"My dad…"

I felt a twinge of pain in my heart. I knew I should have stayed.

"Wait here," I said quietly. "I'll get my mom."

- - - - - - - - - - -

**Shazam! Sorry to leave you hanging, but really think it's better this way. So I will try to update sooner than last time, but I can't make any promises. Sorry. I love you guys! REVIEW, PLEASE!**


	17. Your Guardian Angel

**I know I can't ask you to forgive me for making you wait so long, but hopefully this next chapter will make up for it!**

**Oh, and I'm writing in present tense now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form, own Hannah Montana.**

- - - - - - -

Lilly's POV

I run as fast as I can to my mom's room. As soon as I get there, I turn on the light and pull the covers off her.

"What in the world…Lilly?" She sits up and squints at me as her eyes adjust to the light.

"Mom-Miley-hurt-come-now," I say, pulling her arm to get her out of bed.

"Okay, Lilly, slow down and form complete sentences, please." She says, rubbing her eye with the hand attached to the arm I'm not pulling on.

I sigh. "Miley is hurt. She needs help. Let's go!"

I run out the room. I turn and see my mom following with a concerned look. We get back to where I left Miley and we find her sitting on the ground with her head against the wall, eyes closed.

Mom gasps. "What happened to her?!"

She opens her eyes slowly and blinks a few times. "My dad. We came out to him, and he blew up. Then he told me to go to my room." She pauses to take a breath. "Then he started drinking. Later he came up to my room and started smacking me around. Sweet of him, isn't it?" She laughs dryly.

I kneel down beside my girlfriend and gently push some of the hair from her eyes. She gives me a small smile, even though it hurts like hell for her. I can tell. She's trying to be strong for me.

"Where is your dad now?" Mom asks.

"Passed out on the couch, I think," Miley says, closing her eyes again.

I look at my mother. "We have to get her out of here. If he wakes up, this will be the first place he looks. And he's going to be pissed."

She nods. "You get her to the couch so she's more comfortable. I'm going to get dressed and pack our bags."

"Bags?" I ask, confused. "Why do we need bags?"

"I don't know how long we're going to be gone for." She turns and goes down the hall.

I bite my lip and look at Miley. Guilt washes over me. I should have been there. Maybe I could have stopped him. I might have been able to help. If I had been there, she might not be all torn up.

"Miley, Sweety?" I touch her cheek as gently as possible.

"Hmm?" She opens her eyes and looks at me.

"You wanna lie on the couch?"

She puts her hand on top of mine. "Only if you lie with me."

I nod and stand up. "Anything you want."

I hold out my hands to help her up. She takes them and pulls herself up, grunting and groaning in pain. I blink back the tears from my eyes. It hurts to see her like this. But I can't let her see me cry. She's trying to be strong for me, so I have to be strong for her.

I walk her over to the couch slowly. I lie down and open my arms for her. She lies in them and rests her head on my chest. I slowly start to run my fingers through her hair. I stop when she whimpers. Her head must be sore. There's blood in it. I feel a bump under my fingers. I softly trace them over her scalp and then I feel a cut. It's small, not too bad, but it's still there.

"Ouch, Lils," Miley says softly.

"Sorry," I say quickly and pull my hand away.

"It's okay." She closes her eyes.

I close mine, too. I can tell when Miley falls asleep because she stops fidgeting. I, on the other had, can't get my brain to shut up long enough to sleep.

I lie there holding Miley in my arms until I hear my mom come in the room. I open my eyes.

"Time to go, Lils. Wake Miley up." Mother nods and walks out the room, carrying a few bags.

I sigh and start to gently shake the sleeping beauty on top of me. "Come one, Miley, Honey, time to wake go."

"Five more minutes," she mumbles into my chest.

"No, no, Miss Stewart." I smile a little. "We've got to get a move on."

"Go and leave me here."

"You're kind of the reason we're going, Sweety," I say softly. "Plus, you're on top of me so I can't move."

She groans and gets up. I stand and softly kiss her forehead. "Thank you, my love."

"Help me to the car?" She rubs her eyes and smiles sheepishly at me.

"Of course."

I slip my arm around her waist and she puts hers over my shoulder. We carefully and slowly walk to the car. Mom has it running and waiting on the curb. I help Miley into the backseat before sliding in after her. She sits in the middle seat and loosens the belt. I put my own seatbelt on. Miley lies down, using my lap as a pillow. I smile down at her. She blows me a kiss and I pretend to catch it and put it to my lips.

- - -

**Miley's POV**

Lilly's mom is driving us to some place. I don't even know where. And I'm too sleepy to ask. I can hardly keep my eyes open. I'm in a fog. But I can't sleep. They say people who hurt their heads shouldn't sleep until they are checked over by a doctor. Something about going into a coma.

I keep my eyes focused on Lilly's face, and that helps to keep me awake a little. She's really stressed and scared. She's beating herself up inside about me getting beat up by my dad. But it wasn't her fault. No amount of convincing her will make her believe that, though.

I'm all messed up because of my father, but at this moment, I've never felt more loved. Here I am, in a car on my way to safety. Lilly is blaming herself for this whole thing which is sweet, but not right. And her mom woke up in the middle of the night, packed bags, and took off with me. She could get arrested for kidnapping, but she doesn't care. She just wants to get me away from my dad. Lilly and I have school tomorrow. We're going to miss it. Heather has to work. She's going to get docked and possibly even fired. All for me.

I can't let them do that. They can't give up all that for me. I won't let them.

But I'm too tired to argue. The movement of the car and my overall exhaustion are taking a toll. I've always fallen asleep in cars, even when I wasn't tired. Tonight is no exception.

I let my eyes close and am asleep in an instant.

- - - -

**Lilly's POV**

Miley's asleep again. I've been trying to keep my face calm because she's been watching me. But now she's asleep so my stress is easily seen.

We are coming up to the motel I assume we are staying at until we figure out what to do. But Mom passes it up.

"Mom, you passed the motel up," I say.

She nods. "I know. We're not staying there."

I raise an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"It's too obvious. Mr. Stewart is probably going to search every motel in the area for her." She looks at me in the rearview mirror. "We need to go farther."

"But where?" I look down at Miley.

"Your dad's house," Mom says with a bitter edge in her voice.

Mom can't stand Dad, especially since the divorce. Would she really suffer through him just for Miley?

"But Mom…You hate Dad," I say.

"I don't hate your father." She frowns. "I just…Really don't like him."

I smirk a little. "Does he know we're on the way?"

She nods. "I called him already. Dianne's getting the rooms ready right now."

I shiver._ Dianne_. Dad's wife. My stepmother. She was the reason Mom and Dad got a divorce. Frank, my father, cheated on my mom with Di-Ass. I mean, Dianne.

Bitch hates me. All I did was call her a whore and kick her in the shin the first time I met her. Is that so bad? Whatever. She's like, fifteen years younger than my dad, which is gross. She's very close to my brother's age. He likes her. No surprise there. Any guy who's actually attracted to girls would like her. She's a bleach blonde who has had so much plastic surgery she's more of a Barbie than a person because of how many fake parts she has. Like her boobs. And her nose. And her ass. Shall I continue?

"I think you should tell your father about you and Miley," Mom says.

"Why?" I ask, frowning. "It's not like he would care."

"He's your father. He should care."

I snort. "He should. But he won't."

Mom sighs. "If you don't, I will."

"Go for it."

I stick my headphones in my ears, signaling the end to the conversation. Mom rolls her eyes, but drops it.

- - - - -

The car lurches to a stop, waking me from my uneasy sleep that I managed to fall into.

"We're here," Mom says, getting out the car.

The lights in the car turn on and I blink to adjust my eyes to the brightness. I look down and see Miley doing the same.

"Where are we?" She asks, looking around.

"My dad's," I say, pulling my headphones out my ears and turning my Ipod off.

"Your dad's?" Her eyes grow wide. "I thought we would go to some hotel or something…"

"Me too." I shrug. "But Mom thought your dad would look for you there."

"And he won't look for me here?"

I shake my head. "Dad just moved. Your Dad doesn't have this address."

She nods, then winces and rubs the back of her neck with her hand.

"Try not to move too much, Sweetheart," I say softly.

She smiles. "Okay."

We undo our seatbelts and struggle out of the car. As soon as my feet hit the freshly mowed grass, I feel out of place. My father's new residence is in one of those built-up suburbs. You know the kind I'm talking about. The ones that soccer moms who drive minivans live in. Yeah, yuck, one of those.

It's so not my scene, but here I am.

The front door of the house (which looks just like every other house on the block) opens and my dad walks out. Oh gosh. I haven't seen him since Christmas-Two years ago. That was the year Mom kicked him out. Saddest Christmas ever. It was just me and Mom. Dad had taken Adam with him. Adam is my brother, by the way.

"Lilly Cat!" Dad booms, smiling that huge smile of his and running towards me, arms wide open.

I freeze and tense up. Ugh, he's gonna hug me. I hate it when he does that.

And he does. He wraps his arms around me and picks me up, spinning me around. I close my eyes and clench my teeth together.

He sets me down finally. I plaster a fake smile on my face and act like I'm glad to see him, not just being nice because I want my girlfriend to have a safe place to stay.

"You grew, Lilly Cat!" He grins.

I try not to roll my eyes. "So have you." I pat his gut. "But it's been two years. I was just a kid last time you saw me."

He runs his hand through his short blonde hair. "I know, Lils." He nods. "I know."

His blue eyes, the ones I inherited from him, flash sadly and I know he's sorry. I can hear how sorry he is in his voice every time he calls me-which is about once a month. But I just can't bring myself to forgive him. He broke our family apart. I won't forget that.

"Oh my gosh, Lilly!" An annoying, high-pitched voice calls from the doorway of the house

This time I do roll my eyes. Dianne. Of course.

She struts over and gives me a hug with her boney arms. I don't ever try to return it. I just lean away from her and hold my breathe so I won't breathe in those toxins she calls perfume. She lets go of me and takes a step back. I look her over. She's wearing a miniskirt and a tank top with some stupid sandals or something. I check my watch. It's one in the fucking morning! Why the hell is she wearing that! At least Dad is dressed correctly in pajama pants and a t-shirt.

"Heather!" Dianne smiles and gives my mom a hug.

I bite my lip, trying not to giggle when I see the look on Mom's face.

"Hi, Dianne," she says stiffly.

My parents look at each other. There's an awkward silence.

"Heather," Dad finally says.

"Frank." Mom nods in his direction.

I clap my hands to break the tension. "Well I'm sure all this catching up could wait until the sun is up. I know someone who needs to get to bed." I gently take Miley by the arm and start leading her into the house. I do a quick look around, guess which way the bedrooms would be, and bring her down a hall. I've never been in my dad's new house before, so I don't know where everything is.

"Third door on the right, Lils!" Dad calls.

I push the door open. It's a plain room with a queen sized bed and a desk. Wow. Boring. At least it's clean, unlike my room back home.

"Come on, Sweety," I say gently and help Miley to sit on the bed.

"Mmm," she groans and lies back.

"Miles, do you want to take a shower?" I ask.

"Can't move…"

Mom comes in and hands me the bags. Then, without a word, she exits, closing the door. I drop them on the floor.

Note to self: You owe Mom BIG TIME!

"Miley," I whisper, "you need to take a shower. You're going to get blood on the sheets."

"Okay," she mutters and sits up slowly.

"I think it's right through here," I say and open a door. Sure enough, there's a bathroom. "Hey, I was right."

Miley nods and looks into the bathroom. I walk in and find the towels. I set them by the shower and then reach in and turn it on. I put my hand under it and wait for the water to get warm. When it does, I turn to Miley, who is standing in the doorway, watching me.

"Okay, it's all set," I say.

She nods again.

"I'll leave you to it." I start to walk out the room.

"Lilly!" She says loudly with panic in her voice.

"What, Honey?" I gently place my hand on her cheek.

"D-don't leave." Her eyes tear up. "I'm too freaked out to be alone."

I nod. "Okay." I put the lid of the toilet down and take a seat.

She looks down at herself then back at me.

"Don't worry, I won't look," I say with a small smile.

"It's not that I don't want you to see my body," she says softly. "It's that I don't want you to see it while it's in the condition it's in. I'm covered in bruises."

I nod. "Yeah. I don't think I could handle seeing you like that…"

"So, close your eyes, please?"

"K." I close my eyes.

- - - - - -

Miley's POV

Lilly closes her eyes and I start to take off my clothes. First comes the shirt. I look down at myself and gasp. The bruises are worse than I thought. I slowly slide my pants down. My legs aren't nearly as bad as my arms and body. I bravely look in the mirror. My face is so fucked up. It's like a dream. I can't believe it. I reach out and touch my fingers to the cold glass. I back away, scared of my own reflection. I close my eyes. I see my dad glaring at me with his cold eyes. He brings his fist back and then forward quickly.

I whimper at the memory.

"Miles?" Lilly asks. "You okay?"

I open my eyes. Lilly still has her eyes closed, as promised, but she has a concerned look on her face,

"Yeah," I say. "Fine."

I take off my bra and toss it on the floor. Then I slide my underwear down.

_Could be worse,_ I think. _He could have raped me…_

I shiver, push the thought from my mind, pull the shower curtain back, and step in. The warm water stings in certain places but is very soothing in others. But I'm freaked out. Why are the walls closing in? My breathing gets short and I can't get enough air. I stick my head out the shower and look at Lilly. She's looking at me. Her blue eyes bore into mine.

"Miley, be honest, are you okay?" She asks, standing up.

I shake my head. "I…I need to see you or I freak out."

"So are you going to take a shower with your head hanging out?" She raises an eyebrow.

I take a deep breath. "Could you come in…?"

She bites her lip. "I thought you didn't want me to see you."

"I know, and I know it would probably freak you out to see me like this," I sigh. "But Lils, I really need you with me right now."

She nods. "Okay, Miles."

She slowly lifts up her shirt and pulls it over her head then tosses it to the floor. I gulp. My God, she's hot! Next goes her jeans. Her legs are amazing. I mean, I've seen her like this before since we've gone to the beach and stuff, but man, memory serves no justice. I so wish the circumstances were different and she were taking her clothes off for a different reason. Actually, I wish _I_ was the one taking her clothes off her. She unhooks her bra. It drops to the floor. I can't stop staring.

"You know, this isn't fair." She smirks. "I didn't get to see you undress."

"Next time," I say, my voice deeper than normal. "I promise."

She nods and looks down at herself. Her cheeks turn red. She bites her lips and her hands move to her underwear. Slowly, she pulls them down. It takes all the strength in me to not fall to my knees.

"Stop gawking and make room." She giggles softly.

I step back to let her in, suddenly conscious of how banged up my own body is. Any other day, I'm pretty damn proud of it. But not today.

She steps in and looks at my face, nothing else. Her eyes stay locked with mine.

"How come you're not looking?" I blush.

"I want to, but at the same time I don't," she says, not looking away for a second. "It would hurt to see you like that."

I nod. "I understand."

"Plus," she smirks, "I might not be able to control myself."

"I know what you mean, I'm having a hard time controlling myself." I wink with my good eye, the one my dad didn't hit.

"Well, let's get cleaned up before you lose control." Lilly smiles.

I nod and look down at my feet. The water that's going into the drain is a dull pink. The blood is washing away.

- - - - - -

Lilly's POV

We're out of the shower and getting dressed. Miley's having a little trouble because of the pain she's in, but after a while, she finishes getting dressed. So, we climb into bed, too exhausted to do anything else. I open my arms and Miley lies in them. I wrap them around her and pull her close. She rests her head on my chest. I stroke her hair as gently as possible.

Tonight was a close one. I could have lost her. I wouldn't have been able to handle that. She's my world. I need her.

"Lils?" Her voice is soft.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," she says. "I can't even explain how much all this means to me."

"You're welcome, Miley." I smile. "And it's no trouble. Really. I'd do anything for you. I love you, Baby. You're my life."

My shirt is wet and I know she's crying. She sniffles. "I love you too, Lilly. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

"I can't imagine life without you, Miley." I wipe one of her tears away with my thumb gently. "I feel so guilty about what happened to you tonight."

She lifts her head and looks at me. "Why?"

"Because if I would have stayed, I might have been able to protect you or get help or something." I frown.

She shakes her head. "Lilly, what happened tonight was all my dad. I'm glad you weren't there because he might have killed you. If not, he would have definitely hurt you. And I would never be able to forgive myself."

"But he did what he did because of me," I grumble.

She shakes her head again. "I don't blame you. I blame him. And you shouldn't blame yourself."

I blink back a few tears and stay silent.

"Lilly," Miley sighs. "Really, Baby, don't blame yourself. You _saved_ me."

I look at her. She smiles.

"I love you," she says softly.

"I love you, too."

She leans forward and kisses me lightly on the lips.

"Thank you for being my guardian angle," she whispers and rests her head back on my chest.

I kiss the top of her head. "Anytime."

She closes her eyes. I close mine, too. I feel peaceful. I know Miley's safe. She's in my arms, where she belongs. And nothing in this would could make me let go.

- - - - -

**Awe. Lol. R&R please :D**


	18. Family

**I know, I need to update more. But I just can't find the time! I am trying, I really, really am!**

**Disclaimer: See earlier chapters.**

- - - - - - -

Lilly's POV

I open my eyes slowly. I don't know where I am. I look around the room. It takes me a few moments to remember where I am…Dad's house.

I look down at the sleeping beauty in my arms and smile. Then I see the scratches and bruises and I have to close my eyes to fight back the tears. I forgot how banged up she is. It breaks my heart. She didn't deserve that. No way in hell.

My stomach gives a low growl. I need food. But I don't want to leave Miley. I don't want to wake her, either.

"Miles?" I whisper softly in her ear.

"Hmm?" She mumbles, not opening her eyes.

"I'm gonna go in the kitchen and get some breakfast. Do you want to come?"

She slowly opens one eye. "No," she says, barely above a whisper.

I nod. "I'll be right back, then."

I kiss her forehead lightly as she closes her eye again. I carefully untangle myself from her arms and crawl out of bed.

Rubbing my eyes, I walk down the hall, my nose leading me to the kitchen. When I walk in, I see Dad standing at the stove, making pancakes and whistling.

"Hey, Lils." He smiles as I walk in.

I give a small wave and yawn. "What time is it?"

He nods towards the clock on the wall. "Almost ten in the morning. I thought you'd be waking up soon and I know how much you love pancakes, so I whipped you up some."

I smile a little and lean my elbows on the counter. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he says, relieved that I didn't bite his head off or something.

I guess I'm not the kindest person in the world to him. But hey, he hurt my mom and abandoned us. And he took Adam with him. Speaking of Adam…

"Where's the dork?" I ask, looking around the kitchen.

"Your brother is at school," he says with a smirk. "He doesn't even know you're here. He will be surprised to see you when he gets home."

I nod, not knowing what else to say. It's hard to talk to Dad. I've distanced myself from him so he can't hurt me anymore.

Dad sets a stack of pancakes on a plate and hands it to me. I take them and sit at the table. He places the syrup and butter in front of me, along with a glass of milk. I hold out my hand for a fork. He gives me one and I start to attack my pancakes, shoveling them in my mouth. Dad watches me eat with an amused look.

"I've forgotten how funny it is to watch you eat," he says, grinning.

I nod, grunt, and keep eating. Dad smiles and shakes his head.

Once I've finished and have licked the plate clean of all the syrup, Dad and I are sitting in awkward silence again. I'm contemplating telling him about my relationship status with Miley. But then he might not accept us and he might even kick me, Miley, and Mom out. Then we'd be in deep shit.

"So, I know it's none of my business, but since you're staying in my house," Dad says, "what happened to Miley?"

I sigh and look down. "Her dad beat her up. She showed up at our house last night and we couldn't let her go back home."

He nods sadly. "Why did her dad beat her up?"

Here we go. "Because of who she's dating."

"Who's that?" Dad asks, leaning forward.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Me…"

He stares at me for a few seconds. "You…?"

I nod calmly. "I'm bisexual, Dad. I love her."

He looks at the wall. I can't judge the expression on his face. "So he did that to her, just because she was dating another girl?" He asks, still intent on the wall.

"Yes," I say, wondering where he's going with this.

He shakes his head and finally meets my eyes. "What an asshole."

My jaw drops slightly. "So…Wait…You're okay with this?" I ask in disbelief.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He looks puzzled.

"It's just…Well, most parents aren't so cool about it." I bite my lip gently.

"Lilly," he says, taking my hands in his," you are my daughter. I love you no matter what and I will support you in whatever you do. And if you've found someone you love and someone who makes you happy, you have my blessing."

A few tears start to well up in my eyes. "Really?" I ask, my voice cracking.

"Really," he says, giving me a gentle smile. "And if Miley is who you choose to be with, then she is part of our family. I will do whatever I can to protect the two of you."

"Thank you, Daddy," I say, reverting back to what I called him when I was younger. I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face in it, happy tears trailing down my cheeks.

He hesitates, then wraps his arms around me tightly, rubbing my back soothingly. I haven't hugged him in years. He's hugged me, but I've never hugged back. I lower myself onto his lap and cuddle into him, just like I did when I was a kid. He rocks me back and forth lightly-as well as he can in a kitchen chair, anyway. I pick up my head and look at him. His cheeks are wet with tears, just like mine. I giggle softly and wipe them off. He laughs and does the same to me.

"I love you, Dad," I say for the first time since he left home.

"I love you too, Lilly Cat." He smiles.

Leave it to me to ruin the moment.

"I hate that name," I say, looking down.

"I thought you loved it…"

I look back up at him and his face shows hurt. I bite my lip. "Well…"

"You're too big for it." He nods, understanding.

"Yeah," I give an apologetic smile.

"Okay, fine, the name is retired. But you'll still always be my little girl." He pokes my nose.

I cross my eyes to look at his finger. He moves it and I correct my vision. Then we start laughing. We always used to do that. We used to be really close.

"How come you've shut me out, though?"

I knew that question was coming.

I sigh. "Because you hurt Mom. And you left us for that tramp. I just…Never forgave you."

"Lilly, your mom and I had been having problems." He frowns. "That's why I left. Not because of Dianne."

I shrug. "I know, but when you're ten, you don't really understand that stuff. And then you moved. It felt like you didn't want me anymore."

"I always want you, Lils. Always." He pulls me to him and hugs me tightly again. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," I say, pulling away. "But I gotta get back to Miley before she wakes up."

He nods. "Okay, kiddo."

I stand up and go to the kitchen door. I turn back and look at him. "Hey Dad?"

He looks up from the table. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for being amazing."

- - - - - - -

**Miley's POV**

I wake up when I feel someone crawling into bed beside me. A warm pair of arms slide around my waist. Our bodies blend perfectly together and I feel safe. I turn over so I'm facing her and breathe in the sweet smell of Lilly. I bury my face in the crook of her neck and inhale her vanilla scent. No matter where she is or what she bathes with, she always smells like vanilla. I love it. I love her.

She strokes my hair gently. "Good morning, sweetheart."

"Good morning," I mumble against her neck.

She giggles as my breath tickles her skin. I smile and lick my lips. She giggles more. I kiss her neck softly. She shivers. I kiss it harder and start to suck gently.

"M-Miley…"

I lift my head and look at her innocently. "Yes?"

"That's a no-no, baby." She blushes in the dark.

I turn over and reach for the lamp on the bedside table, switching it on, then turn back to her. "Why not?"

"Because," she giggles. "When you do things like that, you make it hard for me to control myself."

"What if I don't want you to control yourself?" I ask, licking my lips.

She gulps. "Can you ask me that when you're better?"

I lift up my shirt a little and see the dark bruises. "Fuck, Dad…" I sigh. "Okay, Lils."

I put my shirt back down and look at her. She's staring at my stomach where I just replaced my shirt. Her face is full of pain.

"I didn't know it was that bad…" She says softly, a few tears sliding down her cheeks.

I wipe them away with my thumb. "That's as bad as it's ever gonna get. And it's never gonna happen again," I tell her. "You really are my hero."

Lilly smiles and leans forward. She kisses me softly. I lean my body into her and deepen the kiss. My lip stings, but I ignore it because kissing her is worth the pain. She tries to pull away but I get on top of her and pin her arms down. Our lips crash together and I'm in ecstasy. I slide my tongue across her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She grants it and my tongue plunges into her mouth. We fight for dominance but I left her win. As she massages my tongue with her own, I fight a moan from escaping. Our hips are grinding together and I can't fight it anymore. I moan loudly into her mouth. She responds be grabbing me around the waist and biting my lip. I hiss in pain and pull back. Her eyes flash open and she scrabbles out from under me and falls off the bed. I sit there, trying to get my breathing back to normal. I hear her panting on the floor.

"Are you okay?" I ask, looking over the edge of the bed.

She nods slowly. "Are you?"

"Yeah, just startled." I frown. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I hurt you." Lilly says, standing up and sitting at the edge of the bed.

"It was an accident." I place my hand on her shoulder.

"You're bleeding." Her eyes are swelling with tears.

I lick the edge of my lip and taste blood. I grimace. "You just reopened my busted lip. No big deal."

I get up and go the bathroom. She follows and watches as I clean my wound with toilet paper.

"We gotta be good, Miles," she says quietly, looking at the floor. "I can't hurt you anymore."

I go over to her and lift her chin with my hand. "You did not hurt me, Lilly Truscott! It was an accident and you should not feel sorry, okay? If anything, it was my fault anyway. You tried to stop but I kept going. Now stop beating yourself up about every little thing that happens to me."

She shifts her gaze to the wall, sniffling. I wraps my arms around her and hold her close. She slides her arms around my waist. I run my fingers through her beautiful golden hair gently.

"I love you," I say quietly.

"I love you, too," she says, resting her chin on my shoulder. A few of her tears fall and dampen my shirt.

"Don't cry, beautiful." I hold her tighter, even though it hurts my ribs.

"Can't help it," she mumbles.

"If you keep crying, I'm going to cry."

I pull away and give her a pouty face. She tries to stay serious but cracks a smile.

"You're using your cuteness to your advantage and that's not fair." She crosses her arms.

I shrug and smile. "Oh well."

- - - - - -

**Lilly's POV**

Miley and I are sitting in the living room watching TV. Dad left for work and Mom decided to go into the office with him since he's a lawyer and she wanted to talk to someone about what we could do to protect Miley. Dianne went…Well, I don't really care, but she isn't home so I'm happy. Adam is still at school. We have the house to ourselves. It's quite peaceful.

I laugh at something a person on the show we're watching says. Miley doesn't laugh with me. I turn my attention to her. Her mind is elsewhere.

"Miles?" I wave my hand in front of her face.

She comes out of her trance. "Hmm?"

"You were staring off into space," I point out.

"I know, sorry. I'm just thinking."

"About what?" I ask, tucking a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear.

"About what's going to happen to me."

I furrow my brow. "What do you mean?"

I take her hand. She gives mine a squeeze and says, "If I get taken away from my dad, I might have to go back to Tennessee to live with Mamma. And she wouldn't let me talk to you if she knew about us. And there is no way I would be able to live with you." She pauses to take a breath. "Lilly, they might separate us…"

I shake my head quickly, fear settling in every part of my body. "No. That can't happen."

"But what if it does?"

"It won't!" I take her face in my hands. "Miley Ray Stewart, I promised to always be there for you and protect you and if anyone tries to take you, they will have to kill me first."

She smiles a little, leans in, and kisses me softly. Her arms slide around my waist. I twirl her hair around my finger and smirk against her lips. I know I have to be gentle with her. I slowly climb into her lap, careful not to hurt her. Her tongue tickles my lip and I open my mouth to let her in.

Once again, I'm getting caught up in the moment, in us. Sometimes I don't notice anything around us. All I focus on is her. The outside world no longer exists. And at this moment, when we're kissing on the couch, it seems like the only two people in the world are me and Miley.

Maybe that's why I don't hear the door open.

- - - - -

**Okay, so this chapter was kind of short. But I had some writer's block. And I have been super busy! I haven't had time to do anything! But my schedule just cleared up, so hopefully I will be able to update more often!**


	19. Faith

**Sorry! I am still in the process of talking medication and doctors and whatnot. It's been a crazy couple of months. Bear with me, please?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hannah Montana**

- - - - -

Lilly's POV

The front door swings open. But of course, I don't hear this. I am currently preoccupied by Miley's lips, which are attached to mine. I don't notice who walks in, and neither does Miley, until they actually open their mouth.

"Ew, gross!" A teenage boy's voice yells.

Miley instantly stands up, sending me toppling off her lap, onto the floor. I painfully fall flat on my ass, mentally cursing whoever came through that door. I look up at Miley. Her face is bright red and she is staring at the doorway. I follow her gaze. Standing there with a very shocked facial expression is my older brother, Adam. His jaw is hanging open and the color is drained from his face, making his gold hair seem even golder.

"Heya, bro," I wave at him.

His bag slides off his shoulder and onto the floor. He lifts his hand a little, gives me a small wave, still wearing that confused and shocked look on his face.

I stand up and dust my ass off. Then I smile at him and open my arms. "Don't just stand there, come give your baby sister a hug."

He hesitates for a few seconds, then slowly crosses the room. When he gets to me, I stand on my tiptoes and wrap my arms around his neck. He gently places one hand on my waist and one on my back. It's one hell of an awkward hug. I let him go and he takes two steps back.

"Are you planning on closing the front door any time soon?" I nod at the door, which Adam left wide open.

He follows my nod, sees the door, and scrambles across the room to close it.

I smirk and sit on the couch next to Miley, who sat some time during that awkward exchange with my brother. "How about you sit down and catch up with your 'lil sis?" I ask, patting the spot next to me.

He looks down the hall, looking like it's the last thing he wants to do. Then he looks back at us. I'm giving him an expectant look. He shrugs, then comes sit next to me on the couch. As his butt connects with the cushion, I grab Miley's hand and lace our fingers. Adam catches this and scoots a bit away from us, but remains on the sofa.

"So how have you been?" I ask sweetly.

"Alright," he says, speaking for the first time since he interrupted me and Miley.

"Are you enjoying California again?" I smile at him.

"Well, it's a lot different than Texas." He shrugs. He'd been living with my dad in Texas, remember? Why? My dad had an accounting firm there. They just moved back recently when my dad decided he wanted to be a lawyer again, like he was when he and my mom got married. They'd only been back in California for about a month.

"Are you making any new friends?" Gosh, I am starting to sound like a nosy grandmother.

"I guess." He says, his blue eyes avoiding my own blue ones. We look so much alike it's scary. The only difference is he's almost six feet tall and I'm a shrimp.

"Excited about senior year?" I nudge his knee with mine. "It's your last one, you know."

"Mhm." He gives me a weird look and scoots away a little more.

"Okay, what's wrong with you?" I ask in an irritated tone.

His eyes dart to Miley's and my hands, which are still intertwined, then quickly away. "Nothing," he mumbles softly.

I stare at him, then look at Miley. She keeps her eyes on the floor. I look back at my brother. "This?" I ask, gesturing between Miley and me.

Adam's face turns as red as a clown nose as he sheepishly nods his head. I sigh and roll my eyes. Of course! He's a seventeen-year-old boy for crying out loud! And I am his sister, so he can't even get some twisted, perverted pleasure out of my relationship with Miley.

"Adam," I say slowly, "Miley is my girlfriend. Okay? She has been for a while now. I'm sorry no one told you. Dad didn't even know until last night. But I love her. Is that alright with you?"

"Are you seriously asking me if it's alright with me if my sister is a lesbian?" His voice trembles.

I shake my head. "I am bisexual, Adam. Not a lesbian. There is a difference. And this isn't Texas. People aren't as closed-minded here as they are in the South."

"Well maybe they should be," he says quite coldly.

The door swings open just as my jaw drops in shock.

"Hey, kids," Dad says merrily. "Oh, Adam, you're home. I forgot to tell you your sister is here. Happy to see her?"

Adam gets up and crosses the living room. "I hate you!" He shouts as he grabs his bag. Then he darts down the hall. After a few seconds, the sound of his door slamming echoes through the house.

I'm not sure who his comment was directed towards, but I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that it was meant for me.

"What was that about?" Mom asks, walking in. "I heard Adam yell from the car."

I am at a loss for words. I sit there, staring at the archway to the hall.

"Lilly told him," Miley answers for me, "and he didn't take it well."

A look of understanding crosses over Dad's face. He runs his fingers through his hair. "Give him time. He'll come around."

"How much time?" I ask hoarsely.

"I don't know, Lils." Dad leans against the wall. "He's dealing with a lot right now. We just moved here. He's having trouble making friends. And he had to leave behind a girlfriend."

"How awful for him," I say, looking right at Miley. She gives me a soft, reassuring smile while she caresses the back of my hand with her thumb.

I know I couldn't leave Miley. It would kill me. Maybe Adam had a Miley back in Texas. And maybe he reacted the way he did is because he's jealous and misses his girlfriend. Maybe…

"Please tell me you have good news," I say, looking back at my parents.

They share a sad look, then shake their heads.

"I'm sorry, Lilly," Mom says. "I couldn't get a meeting with anyone. I waited around all day. I ended up having to schedule a meeting for tomorrow."

"Why can't Dad help?" I ask, feeling desperate.

"I handle divorces, Lilly, not stuff like this," he says.

I guess divorce is the only thing he knows something about since he's been through one. Okay, that was mean. I gotta stop thinking bad things about my father.

I rest my heavy head on Miley's shoulder. She rests her head on top of mine. I haven't felt this tired in ages.

Down the hall somewhere, a door opens. Footsteps echo on the floor until my brother appears in the living room, carrying a basketball under his arm.

"What are you doing home from work?" Adam grumbles at Dad.

"I took the rest of the day off to spend time with your mother, sister, and Miley." Dad crosses his arms and raises his eyebrows. "What's with the attitude?"

"Well coming home and seeing a couple of dykes having sex on my couch does not put me in a good mood," he sneers.

"We were not having sex!" Miley and I yell in unison.

"We were just kissing," I say, feeling my face growing hot.

Mom puts her hand over her mouth to stifle a chuckle. Dad is biting hard on his lip to stop himself from laughing as well. Adam seems annoyed that his comment backfired on him.

"You're all disgusting!" He growls. "I'm getting out of this house and going play basketball." He starts towards the door.

"Don't you want to say hi to your mother?" Mom asks, stopping him.

Adam ignores her and puts his hand on the doorknob.

Mom puts her hand on top of his. "Hi?"

"Bye," he tells her plainly and turns the knob.

Mom grabs his head and places a kiss right on his cheek. He howls in protests, wriggles out of her grasps, and escapes out the door, slamming it behind him.

- - - -

Miley's POV

I know how Lilly feels. Adam is the first person in her family not to accept her. It really fucking hurts. But at least her parents are behind her. My dad is the only parent I have. And he hates me. He almost killed me. And what could I expect of Jackson? He would act just like Adam did. Well, Jackson's still at college in Tennessee. So I don't have to worry about that one. But I do have to worry about what's going to happen to me. I just can't see a solution to this humongous problem.

What can I do? Leave Lilly? Well, that would make my dad happy, but it would make me miserable. I honestly love that girl. She's the one reason I can keep a smile on my face right now.

And now, I can't smile because she's upset. She's always looked up to her brother. Kind of like how I looked up to my dad. Adam crushed Lilly, but at least he didn't do it literally like my dad did to me.

We're in "our" room-that's how Lilly's dad refers to it, anyway. Lilly is sitting on the bed, hugging a pillow to her chest and starring at the floor. I'm just sitting across from her, trying to think of ways to make her feel better.

"How about you trade in that pillow for your girlfriend?" I ask, opening my arms with a soft, kind smile.

Lilly nods, the corners of her mouth twitching in an attempt to smile. She puts the pillow back in its place and slowly and carefully crawls into my lap. I wrap my arms around her, cradling her into my body, and kiss her temple sweetly, letting my lips rest there as I hold her.

It's weird seeing her like this. She's usually trying to be so tough and brave. But it must be getting to be too much for her. I know her anxiety is through the roof by being at her dad's since she doesn't really feel like she belongs here. And she is still blaming herself for what happened to me. Now this thing with her brother… It's killing her inside.

And what's killing me is the fact that there is nothing I can do. All I can do is hold her.

"I love you," I whisper, letting my lips brush against her temple as I speak.

"I love you, too, Miley," she says softly. She sounds exhausted. And I don't blame her. She's going through a lot. We both are.

"How about you try to sleep?" I gently brush some hair from her eyes.

She glances at the clock. "It's only four in the afternoon."

"I know, but you're exhausted."

"No." She covers her mouth to stifle her yawn.

I smile. "Liar. Come on. Let's take a nap."

"Fine." She climbs out my lap and pulls the covers back, crawling under them.

She looks at me expectantly. I cock my eyebrow and tilt my head to the side, silently asking her what the look is for. She opens her arms, a pleading look in her eyes. I quickly scramble over and climb under the covers with her. I settle into her embrace. It's so comfortable. Like coming home after a long trip.

Lilly sighs. "I don't know what I would do without you, Miley."

I look up at her. "Ditto."

"I wish we could just change our lives," she says softly. "Change our horrible luck. Hop in the car. Drive somewhere. Going so fast until we crash."

I rub my hand over her arm gently. "That sounds a lot like something from that We The Kings song. Have you been listening to them too much again?"

She laughs lightly, but keeps her sad expression. "Maybe. But hey, they're right. Brick walls keep closing in. We should make a run tonight."

She isn't quoting the song word for word. She's just intertwining the lyrics into our conversation. But they make sense. It seems every time we make it through something, we run into another wall.

"We can't run for it, Lilly." I rest my head on her shoulder. "That would make everything worse. We have to stay here. Your dad will help us."

"And what if he can't?" She asks, her voice trembling. "Then what?"

I am silent for a while, thinking of an answer. "There is no then what. It's all going to work out."

"How do you know?" She asks warily.

I shrug. "I just do. I have this weird feeling that everything is going to work out one way or another." I reach out and brush her hair out of her intensely blue eyes. "It can only get better from now on."

"You sound so sure," she says, barely above a whisper.

"I am sure," I say, a small smile forming on my lips. "I have faith in us, Lil. I know we can get through anything life throws at us."

She smiles at me, looking much happier than earlier. "You always know just what to say to make everything better. That's one of the reasons I love you so much."

"I love you too, Lilly." I lean in and kiss her softly. It doesn't intensify into a make out session. It's just a short, sweet kiss. I smile into it, then pull away. "Okay, turn out the lamp. It's nap time."

"Yes, ma'am." Lilly smirks, reaches over, and switches the lamp off.

We lie in the darkness for a while. I run my hand up and down Lilly's arm. I stare into the blackness, just enjoying being cuddled into that amazing girl's body. After a while, her breathing becomes deeper and I know she's asleep. The sound of her breathing comforts me. My eyelids become heavy and droop closed, and I am asleep a second later.

- - - -

**It's not very long, but it's all I can come up with right now. I promise I will try to update sooner. I know I keep saying that, but I really mean it. I am not trying to take forever, it just happens! It's my last week of school and I have finals. After that, I should be able to update sooner. I can't make any promises, though. Oh, and I have been writing this story for almost a year : ) Thanks to everyone who stuck with it from the beginning and everyone else! I might update on my one year anniversary of this story, but that is a huge if. I have all my finals the next day, so I will most probably be studying. Alright, well review, please!**


	20. Oh, Brother!

**Okay, so I know I suck at updating. Every single person who reads my stories knows this. So let's just skip the part where I apologize for not updating sooner and get right to the story.**

**Disclaimer: Really? Do I look like I own Hannah Montana? The answer to that question is obviously HELL NO.**

- - - - -

Lilly's POV

I open my eyes slowly, blinking in the darkness. Miley is nestled into my side. I glance at the clock. It's about half past ten at night.

I stare into space, very confused and not remembering the day's events. Why would we possibly be sleeping at 10:30? Well…10:28 to be exact, but still. I bring a hand up to my eyes and rub them, trying to bring the memories back. I feel totally depressed, but I don't know why. Then it hits me.

"Adam," I breathe out as quietly as possible, hoping not to wake Miley. She stays asleep, luckily. I untangle my arms from her body and slip out of the bed. Miley mumbles something incoherently and grabs a pillow, hugging it to her. I smile at how cute she is. "Nice to know I can be replaced by a pillow," I say softly to myself.

I push my door open gently. The hall is quiet and dark. I feel along the wall blindly, trying to make my way to the kitchen. I need a glass of water badly. When I get to the kitchen, I am surprised to find the light on. I could have sworn everyone was asleep. But, from the doorway, I can see someone leaning over the sink. They have broad shoulders and blond hair.

"Whatcha doin'?" I ask, assuming the person is my father.

The person spins around, eyes wide. It's not my dad. It's Adam. He opens his mouth a few times, only to close it again. Finally, he says, "Dishes."

I notice his hands are wet and have suds dripping from them. I nod and walk over to stand by him. He stiffens a little and turns back to the sink.

"I'll dry," I say. "Where are the dishtowels?"

"Third drawer to the left," he says, sticking his hands back in the water.

I find the drawer he's talking about and open it, selecting a towel. Then I go to work drying the dishes he's already washed.

"I don't need any help," he grumbles, glaring at the soapy water.

I just shrug and rub the towel over a plate. I don't have the energy to fight with him. So we work in silence until all of the dishes are spotless and dry. After I help him put them away.

"So why were you doing dishes?" I ask, putting away the glasses. "You never used to do them at home."

"If I do housework, Dad gives me twenty bucks a week," Adam says, arranging the forks, spoons, and knives into a drawer. "Easy money."

"Yeah, I figured you wouldn't do it unless there was something in it for you." I put the last glass in and close the cabinet door.

Adam rolls his eyes. "Whatever, dyke," he mutters under his breath.

Something inside me snaps. I smack my palms on the top of the kitchen island, the sound echoing. My heart hammers against my rib cage and I breathe loudly while glaring at my brother.

"Don't call me that," I hiss.

"Well you are one!" He throws the rest of the silverware in the drawer and slams it closed.

"I am not!" I grip the edge of the island, trying to keep calm. "I'm bi."

"Same difference!" He smacks his hands on the top of the island as well, mirroring me.

"There _is _a difference!" I shake my head, attempting to keep it clear.

Adam walks around the island. I turn so we're chest-to-chest. Well, more like head-to-chest since he towers over me.

"It doesn't make any difference at all." He snarls. "It's still sick."

I've had it. He will not treat me like shit. "You wanna hit me, don't you, Adam?"

He looks a little taken aback. "Uh…No?"

"Yeah you do." I give him a little shove. "Go ahead, hit me. People like you love to hit people like me."

"What do you mean people like me?" He looks at me curiously, forgetting his tough guy act for a moment.

I sigh. "Ignorant homophobes. They're the reason people like me and Miley have to hide. Did you not notice that Miley is covered in bruises?"

"Yeah," he mumbles. "What happened?"

"Her dad beat the shit out of her, that's what happened!" I nearly scream at him. "She told him about us and he flipped! He threw me out, sent her to her room, and started drinking! Then he went up to her room and smacked her around!"

"Wow," Adam says quietly, staring at the ground.

"Yeah, wow." I crack my knuckles. "But you wouldn't care, would you? She's nothing to you. And apparently, so am I."

I pick up the dishrag and throw it at him, then turn and storm back down the hall.

"Lilly, I didn't know!" Adam calls after me.

But I don't stop. I keep going until I get to my room. When I get to there, I find the lamp on and Miley sitting in bed pulling at her fingers. Our eyes meet. Mine are blurry with tears, as are hers. She opens her arms for me and I run over to the bed. I settle into her embrace and bury my face in the crook of her neck.

"How much of that did you hear?" I mumble against her skin.

She shivers slightly. "Enough."

I simply nod as my tears dampen her neck. I know how she feels to not be accepted by her family. It hurts. Oh, does it hurt.

- - - -

Miley and I lay in bed, just holding each other, for hours. We are able to fall into an uneasy sleep around two a.m. Some time around noon I wake up again. Miley is already awake. She smiles when she sees I've regained consciousness. I rub my eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them. I've never felt so tired in my life.

I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed. Stretching, I look around the room. I groan as my muscles loosen up. I'm so tense.

"How ya feeling?" I ask, looking at Miley over my shoulder.

She shrugs a little. "Better than yesterday, I guess."

I nod as a yawn escapes my mouth. "I don't think it's possible to sleep as much as we did."

"Well, _you _slept a lot." She crawls out from under the covers and sits beside me with a small smile. "I took a few naps and watched you sleep the rest of the time."

"Why is it that I slept so much but you didn't?"

She shrugs again. "You always sleep a lot when you're depressed."

"I'm not depressed," I say quietly, staring at my bare feet.

"Yes you are, Sweety." She leans her head on my shoulder. "It's okay. You can admit it. You have every right to be depressed. It won't make you seem weak."

I sigh. "You know me so well," I say as I rest my head on top of hers, taking hold of her hand. Miley instantly laces our fingers.

"Have I told you that I love you yet today?" She asks.

"No."

"Well I love you," Miley says quietly.

A smile stretches across my face. "I love you too, Miley."

- - - -

We emerge from the room after getting dressed. The house is quiet and empty. Dad's gone to work, Mom must've gone with him to talk to a lawyer, Adam's most probably at school, and I still don't care where Dianne is. I haven't seen her since the night we got here and I am perfectly fine with that.

"I'm starving," I say as Miley and I walk into the kitchen.

"That's nothing new," she teases, sitting at the table.

I fake laugh then give her a mock glare. She sticks her tongue out at me. I laugh for real this time. She smiles at me. I look at her carefully. The bruises on her face are starting to fade.

"So, how 'bout I whip us up some eggs?" I ask, opening the fridge.

"Okay, since that's all either of us knows how to make, so it's either eggs or starve." Miley laughs.

I peek my head out from the fridge, raising my eyebrows at her. "Do you want food or not?"

"Feed me or you get no kisses for the rest of the day." She smirks.

"Eep!" At her threat, I grab four eggs from the carton and shut the refrigerator doors. I look around, trying to remember where Adam and I had put everything. "Can you help me, please?" I ask, giving my girlfriend my best puppy dog look.

She smiles. "Sure."

With Miley's helping, we find the pan, bowl, and spatula. Miley and I take turns cracking the eggs in the bowl. I get a fork out the silverware drawer and hand it to Miley, who begins beating the eggs, mixing the yolk and the other gooey stuff. I search for salt and pepper, smiling in triumph when I find the shakers containing each. I shake salt and pepper in as Miley beats the crap out of the eggs. I swear, she does it better than Mom.

She pours the goop onto the pan, which I'd put on the stove to heat a few minutes before. A sizzling sound fills the room. Miley pokes at the eggs while I put some bread into the toaster. The wonderful smells of the cooking foods float to my nostrils, making me even hungrier. The toast pops up and I put it on a plate. I get the butter and jam out as Miley continues with the eggs. Just as I finish up with the toast, she's putting them onto a plate. Perfect timing.

I prepare plates for us as Miley gets our beverages ready. Juice for her, milk for me. Chocolate milk. Yum.

We sit at the table. For a while we eat in silence, just trying to get the food into us to settle our stomachs, but as we stop feeling so hungry, we start to have little conversations. It's amazing how much we have to talk about, even after all these years. We sit at the table talking way after our plates have been cleared. We don't stop until we hear the front door open.

My mom and dad walk into together, both looking grim.

"What's up with you two?" I ask cautiously.

"Lilly, you and Miley need to go pack your things," Mom says, still wearing that sad look.

"What?" I squeak out, fear in the pit of my stomach.

"Your mother was able to speak to a lawyer today," Dad says, putting his briefcase on the table.

"What did they say?" Miley asks. I look at her. She's just as pale as I imagine myself to be.

"I have to take you back." Mom sits in one of the chairs at the table. "If I don't, I can get arrested for kidnapping if Robby Ray presses charges. Miley would be stuck with him, and Lilly, you'd have to live with your father. You would be separated for sure."

"No!' I scream, leaping from my chair. "They can't do that!"

"Lilly, please." Mom leans her head against her hand, looking tired. "Just go pack. We'll figure it out when we get back to Malibu."

"But…Mr. Stewart…"

"I know," Mom says sternly. "We'll figure it out. Just do as I say and go pack. Now!"

I dash down the hall, the sound of Miley's footsteps echoing behind me as she follows. We get to the room and slam the door closed. She goes over to stand by the bed. I lean my back against the door and slide down it so I'm sitting on the floor.

"So what do we do now?" I ask quietly.

"We pack," she says.

"Then what?" I look up at her.

"Your mom takes us home." She crosses her arms over her chest.

"…And then?"

Miley sighs. "And then I have no idea."

She looks so calm. How can she possibly be calm at a time like this? Our futures are so uncertain at the moment.

She grabs her bag from under the bed. It's still mostly packed. She goes around the room, throwing her discarded items into her bag. I stay in my spot on the floor.

"Come on, Lilly." She takes my bag out from under the bed as well and hands it to me. "Sometimes there are instances in life when we have to do something even if we don't want to. This is one of those times."

I silently stand up and take the bag from her. She offers a small smile.

"That's my girl." She reaches out and tucks a strand of my long blonde hair behind my ear.

- - - -

We finish packing up everything. We tell my mom we're ready and she mutely nods. Then we all head out to the car. My dad follows.

"I don't get it, why aren't you freaking out?" I ask Miley as I hand my bag to my dad so he can load it into the back of my mom's red Nissan Altima.

She shrugs and hands hers to my dad as well. "I guess it hasn't hit me yet."

"Maybe." I glance at the ground.

"I don't know, Lilly." She sighs. "I have a feeling that we need to go back. I can't explain it. Something is just telling me this is the right thing. Ya know?"

I shake my head. "Not really."

She bites her lip for a moment. "Do you find it odd that my dad hasn't tried to contact any of us? I know I don't have my phone, but he has your number and your mom's number in case of emergencies. He should have called by now."

I furrow my brows, seeing her point. "Yeah, you're right. That is weird."

"There's your brother," Dad says, waving at someone behind us.

I turn and see Adam walking towards us, his backpack slung over his shoulder. He raises his hand up and gives a small wave.

"Let's go," I say through clenched teeth and open the car door.

"Don't you want to tell your brother goodbye?" Mom asks, searching in her purse for her keys.

"Not really." I shake my head.

"Well at least tell me goodbye, Kiddo." Dad smiles and opens his arms.

I roll my eyes, a small grin tugging at my lips. I wrap my arms around his midsection and give him a light squeeze. He pats my back.

"It was good to see you. Even if it wasn't under the best circumstances." Dad releases me.

"Yeah, you too." I nod. "Thanks for putting up with us."

"Yeah, Frank," Mom says. "We owe you."

He sticks his hands in his pockets and shrugs. "It was no trouble. Glad to help."

"Nice seeing you again, Mr. Truscott." Miley smiles sweetly.

"You too, Miley."

"Hey, what's going on?" Adam asks as he gets to us.

"Oh, so you're not being an ass anymore?" I ask with a bitter edge in my voice.

He raises his eyebrows. "I deserved that. But no, I'm not being an ass anymore."

I roll my eyes. Sucking up in front of Mom and Dad. Figures.

"Lilly," he puts his hands on my shoulders and gets to eye level with me, "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know. I didn't understand. But it's big news. I hadn't seen you in months and then all of a sudden you're in my house, without warning, making out with some girl."

"Not some girl. Miley," I say, staring him straight in the eyes. "You've known her for years."

He nods. "Yeah, I know. I was in shock. You didn't give me time to adjust."

"Oh, so you're adjusted now?" I glare at him.

"No," he admits. "But I'm trying. Look, I love you, Lilly. And I want you to be happy. I'll try to understand. Just give me time to wrap my head around it."

I sigh. "Okay, Adam. Okay."

"Thank you." He wraps his arms around me and hugs me tightly. I quickly return it. I fight the happy tears that threaten to fall. I will not let him see me cry. He hasn't seen me cry since I was nine and he was ten. Now I'm almost seventeen and he's just turned eighteen. So many things have changed.

"Well," Dad claps his hands together. "You three better hit the road."

I roll my eyes. Thanks, Dad. You've just ruined a really sweet brother-sister moment. Way to go, hero.

- - - -

Miley's POV

The car ride home is a silent one. Lilly's mom is tense and has a death-grip on the steering wheel the whole way. Lilly and I listen to my iPod, sharing headphones. She usually insists that we listen to hers, but this time she doesn't fight me. And when Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears songs come on, she just stares blankly out the window. She always changes the song when singers like that come on. And when I say singers like that, I mean anyone that doesn't really have a guitar in their songs.

We start to pass buildings that look familiar. We're close to home. I give Lilly's hand a squeeze. She looks at me and smiles weakly. I lean over and kiss her cheek gently.

"It's gonna be okay," I whisper against her skin.

"Shouldn't I be the one telling you that?" She turns to look me in the eyes.

"Maybe." I shrug. "But right now I'm the one who believes it, so I'm saying it."

"How can you be so calm about all this?" She asks in disbelief. "If I were you, I'd be a nervous wreck."

"Hon, you're _not_ me and you're _still_ a nervous wreck," I point out. "And like I told you before, I can't explain it, but I just have this feeling that things are going to work out."

She shakes her head. "I do not understand you."

I smile a little bit. "And you never will."

She sticks her tongue out at me as the car starts to slow. I look out the window and see my house. I don't get nervous until I'm looking up at it. My father's inside and he's angry with me. Very angry. There's going to be screaming and things will break. I just hope I'm not one of those things getting broken.

"Well, this is it." I take a deep breath. "I'll call you if I need you."

Lilly looks at me like I'm crazy. "You don't honestly think I'm letting you go in there alone, do you?"

"I want you to." I open the car door.

"Hell no!" Lilly opens her own door. "Miley Stewart, I'm not letting anything touch you ever again, you got that? I'm going in there with you and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

"I don't want you to get hurt too, Lils!" I get out the car and slam the door. I go over to her side and stand in her way of getting out the car. "I would never forgive myself if something happened to you," I say quietly.

"Nothing's going to happen to me, Miles." She reaches up and cups my cheek in her hand. "What happened that feeling you had that everything's going to be okay?"

"It went away as soon as I saw my house." I lean into her touch, getting much comfort out of it.

"Well, you gotta be brave now," she says. "It's not going to be like last time. I'm not gonna leave."

"I'll stay in the driveway and keep the car running in case we need a quick get away," Heather says.

"Mom, that may have been meant to sound helpful, but it wasn't." Lilly shakes her head then looks up at me. "So you gonna let me out now or do I have to make you let me out?"

I sigh and reluctantly take a step back. Lilly gets out the car and instantly reaches for my hand. I hold onto it for dear life. We start up the walk to my house, our steps in sync. My heart beats wildly in my chest. How could this have seemed like a good idea? I find the spare key under the potted plant and unlock the door. It swings open to reveal our dark living room. That's odd.

"Doesn't look like anyone's home," Lilly says.

"Hello?" I call. No answer. "Daddy?"

Lilly and I stand there for a moment and wait. Nothing happens. The house is silent.

"Maybe he's out looking for me," I say.

"Maybe." Lilly nods. "Let's get some more of your stuff to bring over to my house just in case."

"Okay." I start to go towards the stairs. I glance around the room. Something white on the coffee table catches my eye.

I backtrack and go over to it. It's a piece of paper. My dad's handwriting is written across it. I pick it up curiously. My name is written at the top, followed by a note.

_Miley,_

_I'm sorry about the other night. I don't know what got into me. But you broke my heart. I can't believe you would do something like that to me. I realize we probably won't ever come to an agreement on this issue. So I need some time away from you to think about it. I'm back home in Tennessee with Mamaw. I'll be sending over papers for Heather to be your legal guardian until further notice. I'm selling the house, too. So get all your stuff out. As far as Hannah Montana is concerned, well, if you want to keep that up you should look into getting a new manager. I'm sorry it has to be like this, Miley, but you leave me no other choice. I love you, but I can't support you on this one. When you come to your senses, maybe we can work something out._

_-Dad_

I stare at the paper, hatred beginning to wash over me. How dare he. How _fucking_ dare he.

"Miley?" Lilly asks. "What is it?"

I thrust the paper at her. She takes it and starts reading. I scan the room, looking for the phone. I find it on the counter and pick it up, hitting the buttons furiously.

"Wow," Lilly says as she reads.

I put the phone to my ear. But nothing happens. The phone line's dead. He disconnected the phone. "God damn him!" I scream. I slam the phone down. I go over to Lilly and stick my hand in her pocket.

"Miley!' She squeaks, a little surprised.

I ignore her protest and pull her phone out, quickly dialing the number again.

"Hello?" My father's gruff voice answers.

"Who the _fuck_ do you think you are?!" I yell into the phone. "You stupid bastard! How could you?!"

"Miley?" He asks.

"No, Santa Clause," I snarl. "Yes, Miley. Remember? Your daughter. The one you beat the crap out of last time you saw her. I just got your note. And congratulations, you've officially won the award for biggest piece of shit ever!"

"You brought this upon yourself, young lady!" He screams right back at me.

"No I didn't! All I did was love someone! And sorry you're so alone and bitter that you can't accept that!" I look at Lilly. She gives me a nod of encouragement. She knows how much I need to get this out. "You're so pathetic. Did beatin' up someone who couldn't defend themselves make you feel tough? Because runnin' back home to your mama is _sooo_ tough." My voice is dripping with sarcasm at that line. "You're such a coward. And I feel sorry for you. You can rot in Tennessee for all I care. I'm much happier living at Lilly's house. At least I'm cared about over there. You say you love me, but you really don't. You only love me as long as I do what you want me to. Well I can't be without Lilly. I love her. And nothing you do will change that. I don't care if I have to give up being Hannah Montana for her. I'll do whatever it takes to keep her in my life. Because I need her. You, _Father_, you I don't need."

"Have it your way, then," he says. "I guess this is goodbye."

"I guess it is," I say. "Oh, and one more thing." I pause. "I fucked Jake Ryan. Bye, Daddy, have a nice life, you spineless, pathetic, little excuse for a man!" And with that, I hang up.

Lilly is staring at me, her mouth hanging open. I walk over to her and fling my arms around her. I lean into her and kiss her deeply. It takes her a few seconds to recover from her shock, but then she starts kissing me back. I slide my tongue across her bottom lip. She lets me in and our tongues dance together. An idea enters my head.

I break this kiss. "Come with me," I say breathlessly.

I take her hand and lead her to the stairs, then drag her up them. She asks me where we're going, but I don't answer, just keep pulling her. Finally, we get to our destination. I swing open my dad's bedroom door and lead her inside.

"What are we doing in here?" She looks at me.

I just smile and wrap my arms around her neck. She raises an eyebrow but puts her hands on my waist. I gently kiss her on the lips. She responds at first, then pulls away.

"Miles, why are we in here?" Lilly asks.

I don't answer, just sit on my dad's bed, cross my legs, and look at her, eyebrows raised.

"Miley, no," Lilly says, shaking her head. "I know what you're thinking."

"What am I thinking?" I twirl a strand of my hair around with my fingers.

"We are _not_ having sex in your dad's bed." She puts her hands on her hips.

"Why not?" I pout.

"Because it would be fucked up beyond all reason?" She says, making it sound more like a question than a statement.

"Sleeping with me would be fucked up?" I stand up and cross my arms over my chest, a bit peeved.

"With these circumstances, yes." She sighs. "Look, you're hurt right now. And you're mad at your dad. I know you want revenge, but you can't have sex in his bed. That would _not_ make you feel better, sweetheart."

"I'm not upset." I stare at her intently. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not. It just hasn't hit you yet." She walks over to me and puts her hands on my waist. "Now is not the time nor is this the place for us to have sex for the first time. Maybe once things have calmed down and things are more settled. But not now."

I know she's right. And that's why I can't be mad at her.

"And plus, my mom's right outside waiting for us, so…" She smirks.

I giggle. "Yeah, okay. You're right."

"I'm sorry." She gives me a cute, little pout.

"Don't be. I'm just crazy right now." I sigh.

"You're not crazy, baby."

I'm about to open my mouth again when I hear a door open downstairs.

"Dad? Miley?" A voice calls out.

Lilly and I exchange shocked expressions. "Jackson?" We say in unison.

Both of us dart out the door and down the hall. From the top of the stairs, I can see my older brother staring up at us. His shaggy light brown(almost blond) hair is hanging in his eyes a bit. He's wearing faded jeans, a simple gray t-shirt, a gray hoodie, and his worn in sneakers. He looks pretty much the same since he left for college, only a little bit older.

"Jackson!" I'm smiling from ear to ear as I run down the stairs. When I get to him, I throw myself into his arms. I hold him tight, afraid he'll vanish if I let him go.

Jackson pulls back from my grasp. "Good to see you, too." He chuckles.

"What are you doing home?" I ask. "Did you have a break from classes?"

Jackson's face falls. "Actually, college isn't working out so well. That's why I'm back. I want to transfer to Malibu Community College."

"How long have you been here?" I sit on the bottom stair.

"My plane landed a little over an hour ago. I came home but no one was here, so I went for a walk along the beach." He shrugs. "So you're here, where's Dad? I need to break the news about college to him."

Lilly and I exchange a look.

"Dad is where you just came back from," I say slowly.

Jackson stares at me. "What?"

Lilly goes over to the coffee table and picks up Dad's note. She comes back and hands it to my brother. "Here, this should catch you up."

We stay silent while Jackson reads the note. When he's done he looks at me. "Wow, what'd ya do, Miles?"

"I didn't do anything." I stand up and go to stare out the back window. "He just doesn't like who I'm dating," I say to the window pane.

"Oh no, don't tell me you're with Jake again!"

"No, not Jake." I shake my head.

"Then who?"

I turn around to see Jackson staring at me, very confused. I look at Lilly.

"Me," she says. "She's dating me. And your dad hates that."

I walk over and stand by my girlfriend, not meeting my brother's gaze. "We told him about us and he flipped. Called Lilly a slut and kicked her out. Then he sent me to my room. After I was up there for a while, he came up. I could smell the alcohol as soon as he opened the door." My voice wobbles. I close my eyes, reliving the memory in my head. "He beat the shit out of me, Jackson." I open my eyes, tears ready to fall. "He could have killed me. I bled so much I passed out. Lilly and her mom brought me to her dad's house. That's where we've been. We just got back today. I don't even know when he left."

"My God, Miles," Jackson says, his voice quiet. "Why didn't you call me? I would have been here sooner." He reaches out and takes me in his arms, holding me to him.

"You don't hate me, too?" I ask suspiciously.

"Of course not. You're my baby sister. I could never hate you." He hugs me tighter. "Don't worry, we're gonna figure this out."

I just nod and bury my face in his neck. I haven't felt this relieved in a long time. Someone in my family doesn't hate me.

"Now, you're going to Lilly's tonight, right?" He asks, pulling out of the hug but keeping his hands on my shoulders. I nod. "Okay, go get whatever you need upstairs. I'm gonna go out and talk to Ms. T. That is her in the driveway, right?"

"Yeah, she's waiting for us," Lilly says.

"Alright, get your things," Jackson says, then heads for the front door.

Lilly grabs my hand and leads me up the stairs.

I don't want to go in my room and I still have clothes in the car, so I just get my face wash. Lilly waits for me patiently.

When we get back outside, Jackson's still talking to Lilly's mom. He's got Dad's note in his hand. They both stop talking when they see us coming.

"So, what's up?" I ask when we get there, knowing they were talking about me.

"We were just talking about the house and Hannah and other stuff." Jackson looks down at his feet for a moment. "I'm gonna stay here tonight and think about what to do."

"What do you mean what to do?" I ask, throwing my face wash into Heather's car through the open window.

"Don't worry about it. We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?" He looks at me, his blue eyes begging me to trust him.

"Alright," I say quietly.

"I'm gonna come by around lunch," he says, opening the back door of the car for me and Lilly to climb in. "See ya then, Miles." He kisses me on top the head.

I get in the car, thinking how bizarre this is. Jackson has never been sympathetic or even nice to me. He's had a few moments, but other than that he's always been obnoxious. But now he's acting mature and even responsible. It's like he's been replaced or something.

Lilly slides into the car beside me. "Does Jackson seem different to you?" She asks quietly so he won't hear.

"I was just thinking the same thing," I say as Lilly rolls up the window.

Jackson looks at us through the glass and gives us a wave. I return it, eying him carefully. I think there's more to the story about him coming back from college. He's hiding something. But what?

- - - -

**Three cheers for my longest chapter ever! I am so very sorry it took forever to update. But, since it did take so long, I combined two chapters together, getting this long one. So, review. Tell me what you think. Oh, and I want to thank all of you that have stuck with me this far! 20 chapters. And it only took me a little over a year! Ha, yeah... The story is almost over, actually. Maybe only six more chapters.  
**


	21. Finally Something Good Happens

**Okay, let's start off with I AM SO SORRY! I know it took me forever to update. Over two months. But things have been so crazy. My classes aren't exactly easy. And then, I am hardly ever home. Last week I was home for maybe twenty minutes total (not counting being home to sleep and whatnot). I'm trying, I really am. Also, I have started touring and applying to colleges. It's very scary. I'm going through so much… Please forgive me.**

**Oh, and I only got 5 reviews for last chapter? LAME! Come on, guys. You can do better than that.**

**Because it's been so long and I don't want you to have to reread last chapter to remember what's going on, here's a quick recap: Lilly has a fight with her brother about his reaction to her and Miley's relationship. Next day, they have to leave. Right before, Lilly makes up with her brother. Lilly, Miley, and Heather return to Malibu. They go to Miley's house only to find that Robby Ray has left. He left a note for Miley explaining that Heather is to be Miley's legal guardian. Miley calls him and chews him out. Then, Jackson comes home, revealing that he wants to transfer to Malibu Community College. Something is different about him.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hannah Montana**

**- - - - - - **

Miley's POV

Why is it that my life is so complicated? After all I've been through with coming to terms with my feelings for Lilly, Oliver's death, and all the Jake crap, why did my Dad just have to add to it? Why couldn't he just be accepting? If he had been, I wouldn't be lying in Lilly's room at eleven in the morning, after not sleeping at all last night, wondering what's going to happen next.

I don't mind being with Lilly. I love it, in fact. There is nowhere else I would rather be. But I could do without the worry and doubt.

Neither of us have slept. We have been lying in her bed since we got here. We just lay there talking for a while, about nothing really important. We couldn't make heads or tails out of what's going on. So we just put on a few movies. And then we attempted to sleep. Didn't happen for either of us. Well, I guess lying awake all night isn't so bad if you're in the arms of the one you love.

Lilly's mom came check on us. She brought up a tray of food, too, for breakfast time. We ate a little before putting it on the floor and resuming our earlier positions. And that is the way we've been.

I open my eyes, meeting Lilly's. A ghost of a smile appears on her face. I try to return it and fail. She reaches out and touches my face lightly, dragging her fingers slowly over my bruised cheek bone. The bruises have started to become a nasty yellow color. It's gross, but at least that means they're healing.

A quick knock on the door makes us both sit up just as Heather enters the room.

"Could you two be any lazier?" She smirks at us. We simply stare back. Her smirk vanishes. "Gosh, tough crowd." Silence. "Er…Jackson's here. Get dressed and come downstairs, I guess."

She retreats back out the room and Lilly shakes her head.

"She tries to be funny at the worst possible times." Lilly sighs.

"At least she's here," I whisper.

Lilly looks at me with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, Miles."

I shrug it off and stand up. "No big. I should probably stop bringing it up and be grateful for what I've got." Lilly nods and stands up as well, that sad look still on her face. I say, "And what I've got is you. And I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world."

A smile makes its way to Lilly's face. A real smile. She jumps off the bed and throws her arms around me as I circle mine around her waist. It feels so good to hold her.

"I love you," she whispers into the silence.

I pull back a little and look into her eyes. "I love you, too," I say, my voice thick with emotion. "You really have no idea. You and your mom have risked so much for me. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

"Oh, I have an idea," Lilly says, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"You passed up that chance yesterday." I smirk. "Ship has sailed, love."

"We'll see about that." She growls and pulls me onto the bed.

"Lils!" I squeal as her hands make their way up my shirt, tickling my stomach. She has me pinned down, all her weight on me. I squirm until I am able to grab her hands. I gasp for a few seconds, trying to regain my breath, then say, "we have to go downstairs and talk to Jackson."

"You're no fun." She pouts as she lets me sit up.

"Sorry, baby." I give her a quick peck on the lips. "But it's time to be big girls and deal with the real world."

"I don't wanna." She continues to pout and crosses her arms over her chest.

"Ya gotta." I stand up again and walk over to my bag, then unzip it, looking for clothes. "I'll let you watch me change if you agree to get ready to go downstairs." I smirk and look at her over my shoulder.

She instantly looks nervous. "Are the bruises still there? Like on your face?"

The mood of the room goes back to serious in a heartbeat. "Probably," I say, my throat feeling very dry.

"Then I don't wanna see," she says quietly. "I can't." She closes her eyes, shaking her head. "It would… hurt. So, so much…"

"Okay," I say, looking away from her and down at my clothes again.

"It's not that I don't want to." Her voice shakes.

"I know." I bring a hand up to my face, touching the bruise on my cheek. "I understand. It's fine."

"Miley…"

"I think I'll just change in the bathroom."

I gather my stuff and head out the door quickly, but not before I hear Lilly's voice faintly saying, "I'm sorry."

When I get into the bathroom, I turn on the light and shut the door behind me, locking it. Then I throw my clothes down in frustration. Gazing into the mirror, I notice hold cold and angry my eyes look. They're a dull, gray color. My cheek is still nasty and yellow.

I take a step back from the mirror and rip my shirt off. More bruises. They're all over the place. It's disgusting. _I _am disgusting. It's no wonder Lilly doesn't want to look at me. I probably repulse her.

With that thought in mind, I quickly pull another shirt over my head. Then I discard my shorts on the floor, trading them for a clean pair. I turn the faucet on and splash cold water on my face. I pat it dry with a towel and look at myself in the mirror again.

_Why me? _I find myself thinking. _Why?_

I gather up my clothes that I wore to bed last night and head back to Lilly's room. I shove the door open without knocking just as Lilly pulls her shirt down over her head, giving me a quick glimpse of her stomach. God, she's gorgeous. Any other day and I would drool over her, but today I can't help but feel jealous.

"Come on, let's get this chat over with," I grumble while I roll my clothes up into a ball and throw them at my bag.

Lilly huffs but trails after me down the stairs. Heather and Jackson are in the living room waiting for us. They both stand when we enter the room.

"Hey, Miles," Jackson gives me a hug, then nods to my girlfriend. "Lilly."

I simply wave and take a seat on the couch as Lilly says a quick "hello" and sits beside me. I look at her, only to meet her gaze. Her eyes search mine, trying to figure me out. I'm hurting her with the way I'm acting. I know it. And I hate it.

"So, Heather and I have talked." I turn my attention back to my brother, who spoke.

"And?" I ask, placing my hand on Lilly's knee. She covers mine with her own.

"Well, your Dad sent the paperwork for guardianship already. It was in our mailbox when I checked it this morning," Heather says. "But he did not specify whose name has to go on the paper."

I quirk an eyebrow. "Where are you going with this?"

"Miley," Jackson says, "since he didn't put that Heather _has_ to be your guardian, I'm going to sign them."

"You're going to be my guardian?"

"Yeah." He nods. "Is that okay?"

"That's more than okay!" I smile. "Jackson, this is great!"

"Wait, there's more." Jackson clears his throat. "I talked to Dad. After some fighting, I got him to agree not to sell the house. And he's going to be sending over a check for us to pay the bills every month."

"How did you get him to do that?!"

He smiles, a devilish smile, much like he used to when he was up to something, and he looks like the old Jackson again. "Threatened to have him arrested for child abuse. I'd get custody of you anyway, so it wasn't like there was much of a risk."

"And since he abandoned you when we were at Frank's house, he can't press charges for taking you," Heather adds.

I sit there, too stunned to speak. Could this really be happening? Can something actually be working out in my favor?

"Now, as far as Hannah goes," Jackson's face gets serious. "You have no manager. Now, I've sent in my application to Malibu Community College. They offer courses to get a two-year degree in business. If you want, we can put Hannah on hold until I get my degree, and then I can take over as your manager. What d' ya say?"

"I say 'Who are you, and what have you done with Jackson?'"

My brother laughs, as well as Heather. Lilly and I exchange a look.

"No, seriously," we both say.

Jackson stops laughing immediately. Once again, he looks older than when he left for college.

"Why do I get the feeling you're not telling me something?" I ask cautiously, not entirely sure if I want to know.

He sighs. "Guess ya might as well know now since ya probably won't leave me the heck alone 'til I tell ya, anyway."

I lean forward in my chair, all ears. "Go on."

"You're pretty much an adult now, Miley, so I expect you to handle this maturely."

"Of course." I wave off his comment. "I'm not you, after all."

Jackson's jaw tightens. "No, you're not." He sighs again. "Alright, well I met this girl the first week I was at Tennessee U. Her name's Carly. We got really close, really fast. And well, we were…irresponsible."

"Irresponsible?" I give him a look. "How?"

His cheeks burn bright red. "I really don't want to be having this conversation with my little sister, her girlfriend, and her girlfriend's mother!"

"Nuhuh, too late! You already started, you have to finish!" I point at him.

"Yeah!" Lilly adds in.

Jackson lets out a breath. "Fine…We had sex, with no protection, happy?"

"Ew!" I cover my ears and make a face. "No! I did not want to hear that!"

"Well what'd ya expect?!" He yells.

"Alright, Stewarts. Enough," Heather says. "Miley, get over it. Jackson, finish your story."

"Fine," my brother grumbles as I remove my hands from my ears. "Well, she got pregnant."

I stare at Jackson, shocked. I never thought my brother would be able to get a girl to go to bed with him, let alone be able to knock her up.

"I freaked out," Jackson continues. "Didn't know what to do. How was I supposed to support a baby? And with someone I didn't even like after I spent more time with her. I even thought about telling her to get an abortion." He laughs dryly, his face so sad it breaks my heart. "But I didn't have to. She miscarried. Many girls do for their first pregnancies."

"Oh, Jackson." I cover my mouth with my hand, not knowing what else to say.

"It didn't hit me until a week later," he says, looking at the ground. "My baby, that life I created, gone before it even got the chance to live. And I wished for it."

When he looks up, I see the tears in his eyes. I leap off the couch and cross the room, circling my arms around his neck. He starts to cry into my shoulder.

This is so bizarre.

- - -

Lilly's POV

I've never seen Jackson cry in all the time I've known him. Miley's never mentioned him crying, either. And I've never seen them so close. They usually fight. Sure, they have their moments, but it's mostly a war with them. But Jackson's changed. You can see it in his face. That miscarriage really affected him.

After Jackson's mini breakdown, we finish our discussion. Our story is Miley and I have both been sick with the flu. Miley and I aren't going back to school until after the weekend. If her bruises are still there, they will be covered up with makeup. Whatever work we missed, it is our responsibility to make up, blah, blah, blah… I kinda tuned out, but I got the gist of it.

Now we're going up to my room to rest. Both of us are exhausted now that we're at ease and know what's going on. Jackson's spending the night in my brother's old room because he doesn't want to be alone.

"After spending every night together for so long, it's going to be so hard to let you go home when you finally do," I say as I plop down on my bed.

"I know." Miley drops down beside me. "Maybe when things settle down we can talk your mom and Jackson into letting us both just live at both houses as long as we promise to keep our schoolwork up."

"That'd be really cool." I prop myself up on my elbow and look at her. "And we can take turns cooking and all eat together. Like a family, kinda…"

Miley snorts. "A weird one." She smiles. "But yeah, kinda like a family. That would be nice."

There's a short pause.

"Well, I guess we should get changed for bed since we're probably going to fall asleep at any moment," I say, breaking the silence.

Miley's face changes. "I'll get my stuff and go in the bathroom." She pushes herself off my bed.

"Miley, wait," I say, catching her arm. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," she mumbles.

"No, it's something." I reach my hand up and touch her cheek. "Tell me, baby."

Her blue eyes meet with mine. "How would you feel if you knew your girlfriend was repulsed by you?"

"Wh-what?" I ask, taken aback.

"That's why you don't want to look at me, isn't it?" She asks angrily. "You're disgusted by me."

"Miley, it's not that!" I stand up as well. "How could you possibly think that?"

"Because you refuse to look at me!" She shouts, then looks quickly at the door. "That's why," she says softly, probably so my mom or her brother won't come in.

"Miley, I can't look at you because when I see those bruises…" I close my eyes and swallow, then open them again. "When I see those bruises, it feels like someone's stomping on my heart. It hurts so much to know that I let that happen to you. That I couldn't be there to stop it."

"But you haven't even seen them," she says, not above a whisper.

I shake my head. "Doesn't matter. I know they're there. And I know I'm the cause of them."

"You are not!"

"Yes I am!" I don't bother keeping my voice down. "He wouldn't have beat you up if it wasn't for me."

"No, he wouldn't have beat me up if he wasn't an ignorant bastard!" Miley reaches out and grasps my hands. "Look, Lilly, you gotta stop blaming yourself, okay? I don't. So why should you?"

"Why should you feel that you're disgusting?" I counter.

Her eyes cloud over. "Because I am."

"No, you're not." I shake my head. "You're gorgeous, Miley. I've seen you in swimsuits and stuff before, remember? You are so damn hot, sweetheart. And don't you ever forget it."

A smile forms on her lips. "You really mean that?"

"I swear," I say softly. "Now will you quit calling yourself disgusting? Because you know it's not nice to lie."

She rolls her eyes. "Fine. But only if you agree to stop blaming yourself for what my dad did." I open my mouth to protest, but she cuts it off with, "Lilly…"

"Okay, I promise." I smile a little. "And I mean it this time."

"Good."

And with that, she presses her lips against mine. It's a soft, sweet kiss. Plain and simple. Yet even the smallest kisses from Miley still send tingles up my spine.

"I love you." I lean my forehead against hers.

"I know," she says, gazing into my eyes. "And I love you."

I crack a smile. "I know."

**- - - - **

**Okay, so some questions got answered and some loose ends were tied. **

**Story's almost over, people. Maybe only three chapters left. Idk. We'll see. **

**And just so you know, I was typing this at two in the morning. Very tired. Can't really see straight. But I wanted to get this out to you. So here ya go.**

**REVIEW!!!**


	22. Progress

**What's this? I'm updating in less than a month! It's a miracle!**

**Disclaimer: See earlier chapters****.**

**By the way, I made a trailer for this story on youtube. I know it's late, but better late than never! Link to my channel is on my fan fiction profile.**

- - - - - - -

Miley's POV

Monday morning arrives a little too soon. Me and Jackson have been living at Lilly and her mom's since the big talk. We ran the idea of me and Lilly going between both houses by Jackson and Mrs. Truscott. They agreed, as long as our grades stay up. They also loved the dinner idea. Tonight we are supposed to eat at the Truscott home. It's Lilly's turn to cook. I have a feeling we're going to be ordering pizza…

Lilly and I have to go back to school today. We both have notes from our "guardians" with our excuses. It's weird to see Jackson's name scribbled across mine instead of my dad's, even if he isn't legally my guardian until the paperwork clears. And once it does, Jackson has to set up a meeting with the school to get more paperwork signed.

My dad just causes all sorts of trouble.

Lilly and I have decided that as soon as we get into the school building, we are officially out to everyone. We will do everything that normal couples do in public, such as holding hands and other small public displays of affection. We won't make out or anything because that's just rude. But we will _not _hide our feelings. And if anyone has anything to say about it, that's their problem.

We thought about asking Mrs. Truscott and Jackson what they thought of us coming out publicly, but what's the point? It's not really their decision. It's mine and Lilly's. No one can make it for us. We have to make it ourselves and we both want to come out.

"Nervous?" Lilly asks from the driver's seat of her black Pontiac Vibe on the way to school.

"I'm fine," I say, flipping the visor down and checking my make-up in the mirror. My bruises are almost gone, but I still need make-up on my eye. "How about you?" I ask, flipping the visor back up.

She shrugs. "I'm good. It's not like I give a shit what they think anyway." She cracks a grin and swings her head in my direction.

"One, eyes on the road." I point at it and Lilly rolls her eyes, but does as told, that grin never leaving her face. "Two," I continue, "I know you don't give a damn-"

"A shit," Lilly corrects.

I shake my head, but can't stop the smile that's made its way to my face. "Okay, I know you don't give a _shit_ what they think of you. But we _do_ have to live with these people until we graduate, so try to keep your cool. You're not going to be able to attack everyone who calls us names. That's going to happen all throughout our life together, so start getting used to it now."

"I know," she says softly, her grip tightening on the wheel. "I just wish we wouldn't have to deal with that. It's not like we're hurting them or anything."

"Sounds like you're having second thoughts." I look at her with concern. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Positive." She turns to me, a mischievous glint in her eyes. All uncertainty is gone.

"Good," I say as we pull up to school. "Because I don't think I would be able to get through the day without being able to do this." I lean over and place a soft kiss on her cheek.

She turns the car off and looks at me, a smile on her lips. "I don't think I could survive a day without that, either. But that was _not_ my mouth, Miley Ray."

I giggle softly. "My bad."

We lean forward at the same time, lips meeting briefly. I pull back slowly and get lost in the deep blue oceans that are Lilly's eyes. I close the gap between us once again with much more intensity. Now that my lip's better, I can't get enough of kissing this girl.

"Fuck, Miles," she mumbles against my lips.

I smirk into the kiss in response and slowly slide my tongue into her mouth. Soon, however, a sharp knock on my window interrupts. We both jump, causing me to bite Lilly's lip.

"Shit," she says, bringing a hand to her mouth.

I turn to see Jake staring in through my window. He looks frantic. "Are you two insane?!" He yells, but it's a bit muffled because of the glass. Before either of us can answer, he yanks my door open, grabs me by the arm, and pulls me out the car. "What the hell were you two thinking?! You could have been seen!"

"We were," I grumble, pulling my arm away. "By you."

"I meant by someone who doesn't know your secret and isn't trying to protect it, Miley."

Lilly gets out the car and slams her door. "I better not be bleeding, pretty boy! If I am, I'm holding you responsible!"

"Come here and let me see," I say, holding my arms out to her. She stands right in front of me. I take her hand away from her lip. It's a little swollen, but there's no blood. "You're fine," I say, cupping her cheek in my hand and giving her a soft kiss.

"Um, public place, Stewart!" Jake looks like his eyes are about to pop out of his head.

"Um, we're not hiding anymore, Ryan!" Lilly mocks him.

I smack her arm playfully. "Play nice, Lilly Cat," I say, using her dad's nickname for her.

She fixes me with a glare. "Don't go there."

"Okay, did I miss something?" Jake asks, exasperated. "Since when are you two public? And where the hell have you been for the last_ week_?! People have started talking, ya know."

"Let them talk," I say with a shrug, showing my indifference. "As for where we've been, well that's a long story."

Jake checks his expensive gold watch then looks at me. "We've got time. Homeroom doesn't start for another twenty minutes. Spill."

Lilly sighs and leans against her car. "Do you want to tell him, or do you want me to do it?"

"I can do it," I say, leaning against the car next to her. "Alright, Jake. You asked for it, so here it goes." I pause for dramatic effect. "Lilly and I decided that it was time to come out to my dad. So we did. He went berserk, calling me names and Lilly names. He threw her out and sent me to my room. The last thing I saw before I got to the top of the stairs was him getting a beer out the fridge. I didn't even know we had beer in there." I shake my head, tear stinging my eyes. "Later he came up to my room. I smelled the alcohol as soon as he opened the door." I wipe at my eyes, desperately trying to stop the tears. I turn to Lilly. "Can you take it from here? If I continue, I'm gonna cry and my make-up can't wash off."

Lilly nods as Jake asks, "Why can't your make-up wash off?"

"Because her dad beat the shit out of her, Jake," Lilly says softly, taking my hand in hers. Jake gasps, but Lilly continues. "The make-up is covering up the bruises. We couldn't let anyone see them because then they would go to investigate Mr. Stewart, but he's not there. It's just easier to hide it. Less trouble."

"Where is Mr. Stewart?"

"Back in Tennessee," I say quietly. "Fucking coward couldn't even stick around to face what he'd done."

"The night Miley's dad beat her, she came to my house. Me and my mom took her to my dad's house. We were there for a few days, talking to lawyers and trying to figure out our options. There were none. We had to come back. When we got to Miley's house, Mr. Stewart was nowhere to be found. He'd left a note on the table explaining that he'd gone to Tennessee." Lilly looks at me.

"I called him and chewed his ass out." I smile ruefully just thinking about it. "He sent over papers for Lilly's mom to be my guardian. For someone who didn't want me seeing her, he wasn't too smart considering I was going to be living with her because of him." I shake my head. "But Jackson came back from college in Tennessee to transfer to one here. He's signing the papers and he's going to be my guardian."

"Why's Jackson back?" Jake asks.

"That's a completely different story. And it's not ours to tell," I say softly.

"Oh." Jake frowns a little, like he's not understanding something. "So why did you decide to come out to everyone?"

"Our families know," Lilly says. "No use in keeping it a secret anymore."

Jake nods, seeming to accept this answer. "Makes sense."

"Yes, it does," I say. "Now if you'll excuse us, Jake, Lilly and I have notes to bring to the office and we must retrieve our books from our lockers so we can go to class. We don't want to be late, after all. We _did_ have the flu last week, causing us to miss school. We need to catch up."

Jake looks confused at first, but as soon as I wink, signaling I'm joking, he smiles and laughs. "Oh, I get it," the boy says.

"Ya ready, Lil?" I ask my girlfriend.

"Let's do this." She gives my hand, which she is still holding, a squeeze and starts to lead the way into school.

As we make our way through the hall, I can feel eyes on us, but it's not as bad as I expected. A few kids nudge each other and point us out, but we keep on walking, our heads held high. We deliver our excuses, go to our lockers, then head to class. No one stops us. Not once. We take our seats and the rest of the students trickle into the classroom shortly after. No one says anything to us. The teacher walks in and starts the lesson.

Huh, maybe this coming out thing won't be so bad after all.

- - -

We go through the rest of our classes. All are uneventful. Except for the crazy amount of makeup work Lilly and I are both given. We'll be lucky if we finish before the semester ends. It's overwhelming. But we finally get a break when lunchtime comes.

"Finally!" Lilly smiles as we exit our fourth period class. "Food!"

"Is that all you ever think about?" I laugh and slip my hand into hers.

"No." She flashes her smile in my direction. "Sometimes I think about you." She leans over and kisses my cheek.

"Only sometimes?" I give her a fake pout, getting a laugh out of her.

"Okay, ninety-nine percent of the time I'm thinking about you."

"Gee, and here I thought I was on your mind one hundred percent of the time!" We enter the cafeteria, still holding hands.

Lilly rolls her eyes, still smiling. "Well someone's got an ego."

"Just a little." I giggle as we get into the lunch line.

"Lilly! Miley!" Jake calls from the front of the line, waving his arms. He waves us over.

"What does he want?" Lilly grumbles as we get out of line to go over to him. "I swear, if we lose our spots in line, you're a dead man," she says when we get there.

Jake raises an eyebrow. "Well, I was going to let you cut, but if you're set on that spot, then never-" He gets cut off by Lilly jumping into the spot in front of him, pulling me with her. Jake laughs. "You're welcome."

"Thanks," Lilly says sheepishly.

We get our food, then find an empty table to sit at. Lilly and I scoot our chairs a little closer than we used to, but not to the point where we're sitting on each other's laps.

"How's the first day back?" Jake asks, then takes a bite of his hot dog.

"Torture." I frown, just thinking about the work. "There's no way I am going to be able to catch up in math."

"I could help you," Jake says around a mouthful of food.

"And you could help all of us by not talking with your mouth full." Lilly smirks.

"Oh, like you have room to talk." I reach over and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thanks, Jake, that'd be great. You might need to help me in French, too."

"Yeah, no problem," he says, looking at us weird.

"What's that look for?" Lilly questions.

"Nothing." He drops his eyes to his food.

"No, what is it?" Lilly takes his tray and pulls it away from him so he has to look at us.

Jake sighs. "Okay, it's just… You two are so… Protective of each other. It's weird."

"What do you mean?" I ask, quirking my eyebrow in his direction.

"Well, just the way you act when you're around one another." Jake looks at us. "Like that day you pulled me into the bathroom, Lilly." She blushes and looks down, probably remembering how crazy she acted. "And this morning. Miley, when Lilly thought she was bleeding… The way you looked at her and made sure she was okay."

"What about it?" I glance at Lilly and catch her eye for a moment, then look back at Jake.

"I've never seen someone look at someone else with as much love in their eyes as you had when you looked at Lilly," Jake says quietly, then takes a sip of his milk.

I glance at my girlfriend again. She's looking at Jake skeptically. "You're not gay, are you?" She asks.

Jake chokes on his milk, sending it spraying across the table. "N-no!" He says while coughing.

"Just checking," Lilly says, grabbing a napkin and dabbing the milk off her face. "And that was gross, by the way."

"Yeah," I add, dabbing my own face, careful not to wipe my make-up off.

"Gross is an understatement when it comes to you two," a cold voice behind us says.

I don't even have to turn around to know Amber's the one who spoke, but I do anyway. Ashley is to her right, which is expected. But I don't expect Rick and Fagan to be to her left, but there they are. All of them are glaring at us with their arms crossed.

"What's your deal now, Amber?" I ask.

"My _deal_ is there are a couple of _lesbos_ plaguing my school." She spits at us. "And their names are Miley Stewart and Lilly Truscott."

"Thought you said you weren't a dyke, Stewart," Ashley speaks up.

"I'm not," is all I say.

"Then why the hell are you two so fucking close and holding hands for all the world to see?" Rick asks, his blue eyes burning holes in me from underneath his brown hair. Damn Zac Efron look-a-like.

"Because Lilly's my girlfriend," I say as if it's obvious.

"Yeah, dumbass," Lilly chimes in. I have to smile at how cute she is.

"Then that makes you dykes!" Fagan yells loud enough for the whole cafeteria to hear, which they do because at this point they're all listening. Oh how I want to pull his hair out by the blond roots.

"We're bisexual. It's different from being gay." Lilly smiles mischievously. "Fagan, Rick, you should know this."

"We're not gay!" They both shout. Fagan stamps his foot on the ground and crosses his arms.

"Dude, you even stand like a queer," Jake says, holding in laughter.

"Jakey, whose side are you on?!" Amber yells at him.

"Theirs!" He points to me and Lilly. "Because I'm friends with them and I hate you! And I thought I told you not to call me Jakey."

"How can you be friends with them?!" Amber glares at us. "They're _abominations_."

At that last word, my calm is lost. That's what my dad called Lilly. I hate that word.

I stand up and walk over to Amber quickly. She takes a step back and makes a face, as if she could catch the 'gay' just by being near me.

"Listen to me, you little bitch," I say, venom dripping from my words. "Don't you _ever_ call me or Lilly that _ever_ again. If you do, I swear you will be sorry."

"Oh yeah, what are you gonna do, Stewart?" Ashley stands up straighter, making herself taller. "Get your little butch girlfriend to beat me up? Or will you do it yourself?"

I don't say anything, just clench my jaw shut tight and ball my hands into fists. "You're not even worth it," I mutter and start to walk away.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Walk away, you little slut!"

Before her words even register in my head, I see a flash of blond rush past me. I instinctively reach out my hand and grab Lilly by the arm before she lunges for Amber.

"Let me go, Miley!" She says, struggling to get away from me.

"No, Lilly," I say quietly. "If you attack her, who's going to get the blame? You, that's who. It's not worth it, just let it go."

She looks at me for a few seconds before sighing in defeat. "Alright, fine. You're right."

"You're gonna get it if you don't cool it, Truscott," Rick says, cracking his knuckles.

"Shut your fucking mouth, you stupid ass wipe!" Jake stands up and comes stand beside me and Lilly.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Rick laughs. "Hit me?"

Jake shakes his head, a smirk on his lips. "Sorry, I don't hit girls." Then he turns to us. "Come on, guys, let's get out of here."

"You better watch your back, Ryan!" Rick shouts at us as we leave the cafeteria.

"You too, Stewart! You're not always going to have your fuck buddy around to protect you!" Amber shouts. "And Stewart won't always be around to stop you, Truscott!"

The doors swing closed behind us and then it's just me, Lilly, and Jake alone in the quiet hall.

"Thanks, Jake," I say, breaking the silence.

"No problem," he says. Then the bell rings. "Huh, perfect timing."

Lilly and I share a quick kiss before heading off to fifth period, one of the few we don't have together. But I do have it with Jake, so he and I make our way there.

It's times like this I can't help wondering if things would be different if Oliver was still alive. I really miss him…

- - - -

Lilly's POV

Who the fuck do those popular pricks think they are? They make me so mad sometimes… I just wish they would go fall off the face of the earth and die. Whatever, it's done with. I'm over it…Kinda.

The rest of the day is pretty uneventful after lunch. Once school ends, Miley and I say our goodbyes to Jake, who has an audition after school. I have to say, the boy's growing on me. He's not the loveable doughnut Oliver was, but he'll do.

Miley and I climb into my car, oddly silent. I start the car and we still haven't said a word. We drive in silence for a little while before I decide to break it.

"So what makeup work do you want to start on first?" I ask her.

"I dunno," she mumbles.

I look over at her. She seems so out of it. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing." She shrugs as I pull my car into the driveway of her house. "Just thinking."

"About what?" I ask and unbuckle my seatbelt.

"Stuff," she says, avoiding my eyes. Then she gets out the car. I follow.

"What kind of stuff?"

She starts making her way up the walk. "Just, ya know, stuff."

I grab her shoulder and spin her around when we get to the door. "No, I don't know, so do you mind telling me?"

She pushes my hand off her shoulder. "Just stuff, okay?" She puts her key in the lock and turns the doorknob, walking inside. It's the first time we've been here since we got back to Malibu. Miley flips on the light switch. Then she goes sit on the couch.

I walk over and join her. She won't look at me. I put my hand under her chin and turn her face towards me. "Miley, tell me." I search her eyes. "Please, baby?"

She sighs, closes her eyes, then open them again, locking them with mine. "Oliver, okay? I'm thinking about Oliver."

"Why wouldn't you want to tell me that?" I question.

"Because you never want to talk about him. The one time I tried, you started sobbing, clutching a Maroon 5 t-shirt to your chest!" She shakes her head.

"I wasn't ready to talk about him then, Miles," I say. "It was still so fresh. And I felt responsible for his death."

"But you weren't!"

"I know that now." I nod. "And I'm ready to talk about him, if you are…"

"R-really?" She looks at me hopefully.

I nod again. "Really. I've been thinking about him today, too."

"Thinking about him how?" She asks.

"About how much I miss him," I say, triggering a look from Miley. "Not being with him," I clarify. "Just him in general. He was my best friend, after all. My oldest one, too. I feel like part of me died with him."

"I know what you mean," Miley says softly, then looks up at me. "Lilly, we've never even been to his grave besides the day of the funeral."

"Do you… Do you want to go?"

"Like, right now?"

I nod slowly. "Yeah, if you want."

"You sure?" She asks skeptically.

"Yeah," I say. "It's something we need to do."

- - - -

Miley and I make our way through the graveyard, hand-in-hand. Neither of us says anything. We just keep our eyes on the ground. Finally, we get to Oliver's grave. The headstone still looks brand new. It has Oliver's name on it and one of those generic messages about him being a beloved son and whatnot. It's so plain and ordinary. So…not him.

"So what do we do now?" I ask.

"Well, when I visit my Momma's grave, I sit in front of it and talk to her," Miley says. "Wanna try that?"

"Okay," I nod and take a seat on the grass, Miley soon following.

"You want me to start?" She asks.

"Yes, please."

"Okay, here goes…" She takes a deep breath. "Hey, Oliver. We sure do miss you. Things aren't the same without you. I can't tell you how much we miss you," she says, her voice shaking on the last line. A single tear trickles down her cheek. "Not a day goes by that I don't think about you. Every now and then I take out home videos with you in them and watch them. My background on my computer is a picture of me, you, and Lilly that my daddy took after our first day of high school. I'm never gonna take it off." She wipes some tears off her face. "Okay, maybe I will, but I will definitely always have a picture of you somewhere in my room." She smiles sadly, staring at the headstone. "I love you, Oliver. And I will miss you every single day of my life." She sniffles, then looks at me. "Your turn, Lils."

I nod and wipe my own tears away with the back of my hand. "Uh, hey, Ollikins…" I pause, trying to gather my thoughts. "I miss you…So, so much. After you died, I stayed in bed for months. It just hurt. You were my best friend. We'd been together since kindergarten. And then, all of a sudden, you were gone. And I felt responsible. I thought that maybe if I'd just went surfing with you, you'd still be around. But then, I started thinking, why didn't you just wait for me?" I stare at his name on the headstone, feeling angry. "Huh? Why couldn't you just wait for me?! You just had to go surfing, didn't you?! Why?! Why did you leave me?! Leave us? Me, Miley, your family? The people who care about you?" I stop, my jaw shaking from trying so hard not to cry. "I know you didn't plan on that happening, Oliver. But how could you have been so stupid? You knew you weren't supposed to go surfing by yourself, especially in a deserted place." I shake my head. "I blamed myself for so long, and then I blamed you. But I guess I gotta stop blaming and just accept that sometimes these things happen. And sometimes people are taken from the people who care about them. I just don't understand why you were taken from us." I look over at Miley. "If it wasn't for Miley, I never would have gotten through this. She's really been my rock. I know you were a homophobe, Ollie, but I hope you would have accepted me and Miley. Because honestly, I love her more than anything in this world."

"I love you too," Miley says softly. "And he would have, Lilly. You know that. It might have taken him a while, but he would have come around eventually."

I nod, tears stinging my eyes once more. "I know." I look back at the headstone. "I love you, Ollie. I miss you so goddamn much. I'll never forget you. Ever."

Miley puts her arm around me and I lean into her, putting my head on her shoulder. She rests her head on top of mine. We sit there, the only noises coming from us the ones we make as we cry until finally, we're all cried out. Then we just sit there, for I don't know how long, until an idea comes to me.

I jump up suddenly and start running towards the parking lot.

"Where are you going?" Miley calls after me.

"I'll be right back!" I yell over my shoulder and keep running. I get to my car and open the hatchback, then start sorting through all the junk I've got back there until I find what I'm looking for. Then I run back to Miley, who's still sitting in front of Oliver's grave.

"What on Earth are you doing?" She asks, eyeing the cherry red skateboard helmet and black Sharpie maker I've got in my hands.

"Making this thing more Oliver," I say, taking the cap off the marker and scribbling a quick message. Then I place the helmet on the ground in front of the headstone.

_I love you, Ollikins! -Lilly_ Is written across the front of it.

Miley smiles when she sees it, then looks at me. "Can we go back to my house then come back? I have something I wanna add."

I nod quickly. "Sure."

- - - - -

Twenty minutes later, we are standing in front of Oliver's grave again. Miley sets down a picture frame with a picture of me, her, and Oliver in it.

"I hope no one steals these," she says as she gazes at the picture frame and helmet.

"If they do, we'll just keep replacing them," I say.

We stare at the grave for a few more minutes in silence.

"Ready to go?" I ask, looking at my girlfriend.

She nods. "Yeah, let's go. We have hours of homework ahead of us."

"Ugh, thanks for reminding me," I groan.

Miley shakes her head, but smiles and extends her hand to me. I take it. Then I kiss my other hand and place it to the headstone marking Oliver's grave.

"Bye, Ollie, you doughnut," I say softly. "We'll be back soon."

"We promise." Miley kisses her hand and puts it to the stone, too. "Bye."

Then we start to walk back to my car, the sun setting behind us.

- - -

**Okay, I really didn't expect them to go to Oliver's grave. I had a very different ending planned for this chapter, but I like this one so much more! Seriously, I almost cried. Almost.**

**Review, please?**


	23. Don't Mess With Jake's Girls

Some people on youtube… They are so very rude. I swear.

Disclaimer: See earlier chapters.

READ: I have to switch to a different character's point of view(that isn't Miley's or Lilly's). It is going to be the first and last time it happens. The only reason I am doing it is it's crucial to the story.

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**(JAKE'S POV)**

I limp across the gym, trying not to be hit by the red rubber balls being thrown across the room. We're playing dodge ball today and I somehow managed to sprain my ankle. My handler is going to kill me! I have an audition for a kung fu movie this weekend. Guess that one's out the window.

"What's wrong with you, Ryan?!" Mr. Logan, the gym teacher, barks. His fat face turns from pink to red as he yells. Have you ever wondered why fat people are allowed to be gym teachers? I mean, who are they to tell us that we need to get in shape? Hypocritical hippos.

"I went to dodge a ball and I landed on my ankle wrong," I say, wincing in pain as I try to put weight on my throbbing ankle.

"Let me see." He glares as I roll my sock down, revealing that the limb is already swelling. "Alright, you're out for the day. Go get your stuff and head to the nurse." His beady eyes glance out over the gym floor. "Anyone wanna take Ryan to the nurse?!" He yells at the students.

Everyone raises their hand, but it's Miley and Lilly who scramble forward.

"We'll take him Mr. Logan," Miley says, putting on a bright smile.

"Yeah," Lilly adds. "We'll get him there in no time."

Mr. Logan smiles at my friends and his pink face softens. "That's very kind of you, girls. Go right ahead. And you-" He shoots a glare at me, "-you better be ready to do a makeup workout as soon as that ankle's better." God, he's such a pedophile for teenage girls.

"Yes, sir." I salute him mockingly, then drop my arms over Miley's and Lilly's shoulders. They each slip their arms around my waist.

"Ew, gross! You stink, Jake!" Lilly says as they start to escort me out.

"Oh yeah? How do you like pit sweat on your shoulder, then?" I lean my weight more to her side, grinding my armpit into her shoulder.

She turns her head and bites my hand, hard. I yelp and throw my arm off her, almost falling. Luckily, Miley catches me.

"Okay, you two, that's enough," she chuckles.

Lilly smirks and links her arm around my waist again. I cautiously drop my arm back on her shoulder. And we're off again, finally making it to the hallway between the gym and the changing rooms.

"My stuff's in there," I say, pointing towards the door that reads _Men._ "I can limp around good enough. You guys can go get your stuff in the Women's locker room and meet me back out here. Then you can come to the nurse with me and stay out of class."

"Hey, I knew being friends with you would pay off one day," Lilly says with a smirk.

I reach out and tug her pony tail before quickly hopping into the locker room before she can get me. I'm pretty sure if Miley hadn't been there, she would have followed me in, but Miley keeps Lilly out of trouble.

Like yesterday in the cafeteria. Lilly almost beat the crap out of Amber. But Miley stopped her. I wonder if Miley would have stopped me from fighting with Fagan and Rick. Not that they're much of a match for me, but still.

I limp towards my stuff on one of the benches in the changing room. I reach into my jean pocket for my phone to check the time. _Score_! We're missing a whole half hour of gym class.

I'm about to put my phone back when I hear muffled voices sounding like they're coming from the showers. I look around to make sure no one's around, then slowly limp to the doorway of the showers. I peer inside, trying to stay as hidden as possible.

Rick and Fagan are in the showers, still dressed in their gym clothes.

_What are they doing in here? And how did they get out of class without anyone noticing?_

"So Amber's really gonna do it?" Fagan asks Rick.

"Of course. You know Amber. When she has her mind set on something, she's going to do it," Rick says.

I don't know what it is, but something in his voice doesn't sound right. It's suspicious. I grip my phone tightly, trying to decide if I want to record just in case.

"But what if people believe Stewart and Truscott?" Fagan says.

My hands start fumbling with my phone, trying to access my video camera. I almost drop it in the process. I need to record this; they're talking about my girls.

I hit the button as Rick rolls his eyes.

"They're not going to," he says. "Amber's story is foolproof. She and Ashley hid Truscott's and Stewart's stuff so that they will have to stay in the changing room longer. Amber and Ashley will stay in longer doing their 'make up.' That way it'll be just the four of them, no witnesses. Then, they will run out screaming about how Stewart and Truscott tried to molest them before the bell rings and everyone's still in the gym to see them run out, followed by those two abominations."

"Do you really think it'll work?" Fagan looks skeptical.

"Of course! Lilly and Miley are a couple of dykes. They obviously have no morals, so no one's going to believe they're innocent. And if they do, Amber has more than enough money to keep them quiet. Lilly and Miley will be expelled, probably sent to jail, and we will be rid of them."

"What about Ryan?"

I jump slightly at the mention of my own name.

"He won't be able to do anything. It'll be the entire gym's word against his, Truscott's, and Stewart's."

There's a short pause as they stare at each other for a few moments.

"So that stuff you said about Miley and Lilly being abominations and having no morals…," Fagan says, taking a step closer to Rick. They look into each other's eyes and a smile appears on Rick's face.

He reaches up and runs a hand through Fagan's blond hair. "You know I didn't mean us. We're different," the brown haired boy says.

With that, Fagan pushes Rick against the shower wall, pressing their bodies together. Then he crashes his lips against the other boy's.

I clap my hand over my mouth, stopping the 'Oh Shit!' that almost slips. I turn off my camera, as I have all I need, plus more. Then I turn and run towards my stuff as quietly as possible, pain shooting through my entire leg every time I put weight on my ankle. I grab my bag and my regular clothes and shoot out the door.

Miley and Lilly are there waiting, both wearing annoyed expressions.

"Someone hid our stuff," Lilly grumbles. "You'd think they would have at least picked a better place than the showers, but still!"

"Well," Miley says, looking thoughtful, but still annoyed, "if you think about it, it was a pretty good hiding spot. Had we stayed in gym the whole period, the other girls might have turned the showers on and ruined our stuff before we got to it."

"I'm glad we didn't stay the whole class period!" I say, thinking about Amber's plan.

"Yeah, me too." Miley smiles. "I hate gym."

"That's not why," I say.

"Hey, you're walking!' Lilly points out.

Miley frowns. "Did you fake the injury to get out of class?"

"If so, you're my hero." Lilly smiles.

"FOCUS!" I yell at them. They both shut their mouths and stare at me. "I have something to tell you! You're never gonna believe this!"

* * *

**(Miley's POV)**

"Fucking wow," I say after Jake shows us the video from his phone.

"I was right!" Lilly stands up and jumps around happily, a huge smile on her face.

I grab her arm and pull her back down onto the couch next to me, causing her to frown. We're at my house. We left after we got out of gym, since it's our last class of the day.

"Lilly, how can you be happy when Amber and Ashley are plotting to accuse us of molesting them?!" I ask, my face grim.

"But, Rick- And Fagan- Kiss- Gay- Knew it- Ooh, fine!" She finishes with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting.

"That's my girl," I peck her lightly on her pouting lips, then turn to Jake. "So, any ideas, chief?"

"Blackmail," he says simply, holding out his hand for the phone.

I hand it to him, raising an eyebrow. "Blackmail?"

He nods. "Yeah. We show the video to Rick and Fagan, tell them we'll put it all over the internet if they don't call Amber and Ashley off, and move on with our lives."

"But Amber and Ashley- well, more Amber, really- control everything Dick and Faggot do," Lilly says. "They have no power."

"Even if they do start stuff, if we threaten Rick and Fagan with the video, they'll have to tell the truth." Jake smiles. "Nice nicknames, by the way."

"Thank you," Lilly says, looking quite pleased with herself.

"Yeah, yeah, you're so clever, Lil." I roll my eyes. "Can we get back to this blackmail business?…I don't feel right about it."

"We don't really have a choice, Miley," Lilly says, her blue eyes intense. "If we don't do it, Amber and Ashley could get us thrown in jail."

"Or we could just wait until they accuse us and show the video in court," I say.

"Do you want to go to jail or something?!" Lilly exclaims. ""Cause I sure don't! And if we don't blackmail Rick and Fagan, that's where we're going. Even if we get out later, we would still be sent there as suspects."

Jake nods. "She's right, Miles. There's no other option. It's harsh, but that's life. Survival of the fittest. Get them before they can get you. That's all you can do."

"Alright, fine," I say reluctantly. "Let's do it." I frown slightly, thinking about what I've just agreed to.

"I'm sorry." Lilly places her hand on my shoulder. "You know we wouldn't be doing this if we didn't have to."

I nod and look at her. "Yeah, I know. Doesn't make it any better, though."

* * *

**(Lilly's POV)**

After coming up with a plan to show the video to Rick and Fagan, Jake leaves and Miley and I go back to my house.

"Mom! We're home!" I call when we walk inside. There's no answer. "Mom?"

Miley and I check the living room, then go into the kitchen. There's a note on the table. I pick it up and read it.

"What's it say?" Miley asks, slipping off her jacket and draping it over a chair.

"Mom has a date tonight. She's not going to be home for dinner." I smile. "Good for her. She needs a love life."

"Jackson has a class tonight," Miley says. "So we're on our own for dinner."

"Looks like it," I say, throwing the note into the trashcan near the kitchen island.

Miley stares at the trashcan. "My dad left me a note this one time," she says. "What. A. Dick!" She looks at me, a smile on her face.

I crack up laughing, her joining in soon after.

"So you're over it, then?" I say when I finish laughing.

"Yeah," she says, smiling softly. "Who needs him when I have you."

I lean over and kiss her lightly on the lips. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"I know." She smirks. "Now make me a sandwich."

"Way to kill the moment."

She shrugs. "It's what I do."

* * *

After I make myself and my bossy girlfriend sandwiches and we devour them, we head up to my room to work on our mounds of homework and makeup work that we still have to do.

We scatter our books and papers across my bed.

"How about I do English and give you the answers, and you do math and give me the answers?" I ask, flopping down on an empty spot on the bed and kicking my shoes off. "That way we can get through it faster."

"Sounds like a plan. But what if our teachers notice we have the same answers?" Miley pushes some papers aside and sits down, slipping off her flip flops.

"They're not going to actually read it. They just want us to do it," I argue, tugging off my socks. "Come on, please?"

"Fine," She smiles. "But only because the sooner we finish this crap, the sooner we can have Miley-Lilly time."

And so we start, each working at our own pace, then handing over the completed work to copy. After about two hours, we get a lot completed because we actually do the work in silence since we're so anxious to get it done as soon as possible.

"God, I don't get this," Miley says, rubbing her temples.

"What are you working on?" I ask, looking up from my book.

"French."

"Sorry, can't help you there. I took Spanish. That's actually what I'm working on now," I say, holding up my book to show her the cover.

"There's no way I can get this on my own," she say, tossing her book to the side. "I'll just ask Jake to help me tomorrow after school." She sits up, throwing her feet over the edge of the bed and moves her head to each side, cracking her neck.

I set my work on the nightstand and move behind her, placing my hands on her shoulders. I start to work my hands in circular motions, massaging her tight muscles.

"God, you're so tense, baby," I say quietly.

"Mhm…" Miley moans out. I can picture her face relaxing, eyes closed.

I rub her shoulders harder, leaning into her. She emits a few soft moans and grunts. The sounds drives me crazy. I bend my head down and kiss the back of her neck.

"You need a stress relief," I mumble against her skin.

She spins around and locks her eyes with mine. Hers are on fire. Without saying anything, she crashes our lips together. Fireworks go off in my head, just like always. She leans into me, pushing me down on the bed.

"Ow." I wince slightly as a notebook stabs into my back.

I pull it out from under me. Miley takes it and tosses it to the side, then starts pushing everything off my bed. I follow suit. Finally, everything is on the floor. Miley and I look at each other again, before she grabs a fistful of my shirt, pulls me to her, and kisses me heatedly.

I pull out of the kiss quickly. "Hold on," I say breathlessly. I jump off the bed, ignoring her look of protest, and run across the room to lock my door. Once I hear the click, I dart back to my bed and jump on it. "Now, where were we?"

Miley smirks and pulls me to her again, our lips meeting once more. Her tongue flicks across my bottom lip and I open my mouth, allowing her entrance. She explores with her tongue, sending shockwaves through my body.

Suddenly, soft, hot fingers make their way up my shirt and onto the skin of my stomach. Miley breaks our kiss long enough to pull my shirt over my head in one swift movement.

"Is this what you want?" She asks softly, eyes locking with mine.

I grip her hips, pulling her to me. "I want you," I growl before attacking her lips with my own.

She pushes me back on the bed and gets on top of me, straddling my hips. I reach up to grab her and pull her to me, but she takes hold of my hand. Before I can ask what she's doing, she presses a finger to my lips. Then she drops my hand and brings her own to the hem of her shirt. Lifting it slowly, she reveals her magnificent body. That slim, toned, and tanned stomach drives me insane. And then there's her perky breasts, which are unfortunately hidden by her bra.

Miley lies on me, pressing our bodies together. Her lips make their way to my neck, finding my pulse point almost instantly. Then her fingers are on my zipper, pulling it down. Next is the button. It is undone. She gets off and lets me wiggle out of my jeans, which are tossed away immediately after removal.

Miley stands up from the bed and walks a to the center of my room. Eyes on me, she undoes her cute little jean shorts and lets them drop the floor, then steps out of them. I gulp, taking in the sight of her beautiful long legs. She walks back to my bed slowly and crawls over to me. Kneeling in front of me, she reaches around behind her and unclasps her bra. She takes it off and holds it up, then drops it to the floor. I don't see her do this because I can't take my eyes off her breasts.

She puts her finger under my chin and makes me look up at her, a smirk on her face. My cheeks burn brightly. She leans forward, our lips meeting in a searing kiss. I almost jump in surprise when I feel her hands on the clasp of my bra, taking it off. I let her slip it off my arms and drop it to the floor next to hers. Her eyes rake my body, stopping on my breasts, then dart to my face.

"You are fucking gorgeous," she says quietly.

I shake my head. "No, that's you."

I lean forward and capture her lips in another kiss. Feeling bold, I put my hand on her chest and run it down to her stomach, and then to the elastic of her underwear.

"Go ahead," she mumbles against my lips.

She doesn't need to tell me twice. I tug at them, pulling them down. They slide down her thighs, past her knees, to her ankles, where she kicks them off, sending them flying. Then Miley flips us over so she's on top. Her lips trail from mine, to my jaw, then neck, and chest. She places butterfly kisses over my breasts before moving to my stomach. She looks up at me, hands hovering above my underwear. I give her a small nod and that's all she needs. She starts to slide them down slowly, placing kisses down my legs as she goes. I shiver the entire time. And finally, they're off. They hang from Miley's hand for a mere second before she drops them and they hit the floor, along with the rest of our clothes and our forgotten homework.

* * *

**What, no graphic sex scene? Correct. None. And there's not going to be one. **

**The end draws near, my friends. Only two chapters left. I mean it. This is not a lie. TWO CHAPTERS LEFT.**

**Review it anyway, though!**


	24. Oh How The Mighty Have Fallen

**Only 4 reviews for last chapter…Really, guys? Come on! You're killing me here!**

**One before last chapter. Savor it.**

**Disclaimer: Really? Do I look like I own Hannah Montana? Because I don't.**

**- - -  
**

(Lilly's POV)

Jake and I stand against the wall of the girls' room, watching Miley pace nervously across the disgusting floor.

"Are you sure no one's going to come in?" Jake asks, glancing at the door. He's nervous as well, but not about the confrontation we're about to go through. He doesn't want anyone to see that he's in the girls' bathroom…again.

"Would you relax?" I sigh. "Girls only go to the bathroom during lunch, not before school. And if someone does come in, what does it matter?"

"People already think I'm gay because I hang out with you!" he says. "I don't want to be caught in here for the second time."

"That's not the only reason they think you're gay, Jakey." I pat his shoulder.

"Hey!" He scowls at me. "One, if Amber can't call me that you can't either. Two, what do you mean?!"

"Oh come on," I say, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest. "Your perfectly highlighted hair, the way your shoes always match your belt, your insanely clean car…"

"The fact that you're really bad in bed," Miley mutters, still pacing.

Jake's face turns a brilliant shade of red as I clutch my side, laughing myself silly. When I finish, I have tears rolling down my face.

"I love you," I tell Miley, still trying to catch my breath from laughing so hard.

"And I love you." Miley smiles slightly, continuing in her pacing.

"I told you, it's because you're like a sister to me," Jake says through gritted teeth, his face still red.

"Oh please." I snort. "Have you seen her body? It's fucking gorgeous. And it can't be that she's bad in bed. Because she's _not_."

Miley stops pacing and smiles at me. I give her a wink.

"Woah, what?!" Jake exclaims. "You two…" His trails off, looking back and forth from me and Miley.

"Yup." I grin triumphantly as Miley's face goes red, much like Jake's had earlier, but not as dark.

Before any more words can be exchanged about our sex lives, the first bell rings, signaling that students need to start making their way to class. It also signals that it's time for our plan to start.

"Ready?" I ask, looking at Jake, then Miley.

"Oh just get it over with," Miley says, looking miserable.

"It's the only way, Miles," I say desperately. "You know we don't want to do this any more than you do."

She nods, biting her lip.

"Come on, let's grab them," Jake says, going towards the door.

I follow him and push it open just a crack. Leaning so that I can see out, I spot our targets: Rick and Fagan. They come this way every morning to get to homeroom.

"Three…," I start counting down, "two…one!"

I reach out my arm, grabbing hold of Rick's, pulling him inside the bathroom before he even realizes what's happening. Fagan, being the loyal lackey that he is, stops when Rick isn't by his side anymore. Then, Jake swings the door open, grabs Fagan by the front of the shirt, and pulls him into the bathroom as well. We each drag them over to the corner near the stalls as Miley locks the door behind us.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Rick yells, pushing his brown hair out of his eyes.

"We have something we'd like to show you," Jake says coolly.

"Like _you_ could show us anything we'd actually want to see!" Rick scoffs.

Jake shrugs, taking his phone out of his pocket. "I never said you'd want to see it. I just said we'd like to show it to you."

"Well we won't watch it," Rick says, nudging Fagan with his elbow.

"Yeah!" Fagan nods.

"Oh, I think you'll find it _very _interesting," I say, smiling at them with fake sweetness.

"Doubt it, Truscott," Rick says coldly.

"Just watch it," Jake says, holding out his phone.

The bathroom is silent for a few moments as Rick and Fagan stare blankly at the screen, trying their best to seem uninterested. Then, as the video starts and their voices come from the device and they see themselves on screen, their eyes start to widen. Their bored expressions turn into ones of horror.

_You know I didn't mean us. We're different,_ Rick's voice comes through the phone. His face is pale white, as is Fagan's. They're watching themselves kiss on the small screen of Jake's phone.

When the video finishes, Rick glances at Jake quickly before making a grab for the phone. Jake, anticipating this, pulls the phone out of reach, then hands it to me. This is part of our plan, too. I quickly stuff the phone down my shirt, into my bra. Should be safe there. They don't like breasts. We had considered Jake putting it down his pants, but Rick and Fagan like dicks, so… You get the point.

"Give it here!' Rick shouts desperately.

"Not likely," I say, crossing my arms over my chest, as if protecting the phone.

I think it's then that they realize we're not messing around.

"What do you want?" Rick says, his voice sounding oddly hoarse. "Money? What?"

"Do you think I want or need your money?" Jake asks. "I'm Jake-Fucking-Ryan for Christ's sake!"

"Then what do you want?" Rick looks at us.

"It's a simple request," I say quietly.

"Please," Rick says, his voice sounding desperate. "I'll do anything! Just don't show anyone that video."

"We're not going to show it to anyone, Rick," Miley says, walking up to him.

"Um, Miley?" I look at her. What the hell is she doing? That's not part of the plan.

She ignores me and continues, "We don't want to out you. Lilly and I know just as much as anyone how scary the idea of someone outing you can be, especially before you're ready."

"We're not gay!" Fagan squeaks.

Miley raises an eyebrow, but her voice is sympathetic. "You and I both know that's a huge lie," she tells the blonde. "But it's okay. Being gay really isn't a bad thing."

"Easy for you to say, Stewart!" Rick scowls. "No one gives a shit about you. Here, we _are _the shit."

"See, this is what your problem is," I say, stepping to Miley's side. "You think everyone loves you, when in reality, everyone _hates _you." Yes, I know I stole that line from _Mean Girls, _but it fits.

"Lilly, you're not helping," Miley says to me, then turns back to Rick and Fagan. "Look, if you want to deny it, that's you. But you have to be able to sympathize with us at least a little bit."

Rick and Fagan look at each other for a moment, nod slightly, then turn their attention back to my girlfriend.

"You know what Amber and Ashley are doing to us is wrong," she continues. "You know just as well as us that we're innocent."

"Yeah, so?" Rick shrugs. "What do you want us to do about it?"

"Call them off!" Miley says loudly, grabbing Rick by the shoulders.

"And how do you propose we do that, Stewart?" Rick asks. "We can't control Amber. When she has her mind set on something, she's going to do it."

"You're her friend, that has to count for something!" I say.

"Boyfriend, actually," Rick corrects me.

"You're gay," I say, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Amber doesn't know that," the boys states matter-of-factly.

"Oh, so you admit it?" I smirk and cross my arms over my chest again.

Rick's blue eyes flash intensely. "Goddamn it, Truscott! Do you have to be a pain in the ass all the time?!"

"Alright, enough, you two… Rick," Miley says, "she's right. You're her friend, you're close to her. You can stop this. Please, we're begging you."

"Okay, okay," Rick says. "I'll try. But I can't promise anything."

"Good." Miley lets a breath out and drops her hands from his shoulders.

"No, not good," I say. "I want a guarantee, Fagan and Rick. You better stop her before she ruins our lives."

"Or what?" Fagan says, seeming near tears. "You'll ruin ours with that video?"

"No one's ever going to see that video," Miley says softly. "I promise. Your secret is safe with us. We're not going to show it, even if you can't stop Amber."

"But why?" Rick asks. "Why would you do that for us?"

"Because it's the right thing to do." Miley smiles a little. "It's your secret, not ours."

- - - -

(Miley's POV)

I'll never know what compelled me to jump in like I did, but it felt right.

"I still can't believe you did that," Jake says as we sit down to eat lunch in the cafeteria a few hours later.

I shrug and set my tray down. "Me either. But I'm glad I did. I wouldn't have felt right blackmailing them. We're better than that."

"They would have done it to us," Lilly says, taking a seat beside me.

"Exactly. And we're better than them."

"But how do we know they're going to try to stop Amber and Ashley?" Jake asks, picking up a French fry. "You told them we wouldn't show the video. So now they have no incentive."

"I don't," I say with another shrug of my shoulders. "But if I were them, I'd comply because we didn't exactly promise to delete the video, either."

"So you want us to keep it?" Lilly raises an eyebrow at me.

I nod. "Yes, for insurance."

"Insurance?!" Lilly drops her fork, which clatters to the table. "Miley, this isn't a freakin' car! This is our lives!"

"Why did you say 'freakin'' instead of 'fucking'?" I ask curiously. "That's not like you."

"Don't change the subject!"

I open my mouth to say something, but as soon as I do, something catches my eye. It's Rick and Fagan. They're off at a table in the corner with Amber and Ashley. It's just the four of them, which is odd. They're usually surrounded by a group of wanna-be's. But there they are- alone. And by the looks of it, they're having a argument.

"Check it out," I tell Lilly and Jake, nodding my head in the direction of the corner the most popular kids in school are occupying.

Lilly and Jake turn and look in the direction I nodded.

"Looks like a pretty heated discussion," Jake says.

"Think they're talking about us?" Lilly asks. As soon as she does, Amber, Ashley, Rick, and Fagan all look in our direction.

All of them break eye contact almost instantly and turn away. All except Amber, that is. She simply glares at us, then flips us off. Then she focuses her attention on her friends again.

"That would be a _yes_." Jake sighs and stuffs another fry in his mouth.

"Do you suppose they're talking her out of it?" Lilly asks me, leaning in closer, hope evident in her voice.

"I don't know," I say, shaking my head, not taking my eyes off that table.

Then, it happens. It's like in those movies when everything slows down. Amber stands up. My breathing stops. She starts to cross the crowded cafeteria. Lilly turns, following my gaze; her eyes grow wide. Rick and Fagan jump up and trail after Amber, Ashley soon following them. Jake drops his milk and jumps to his feet at the same moment Lilly and I do. At this point, Amber steps up onto a chair, climbing onto one of the blue cafeteria tables in the center of the room. Everything goes quiet, even though I didn't notice the noise because I was too busy focusing on Amber. Then, Lilly, Jake, and I are moving towards the table Amber is standing on. We push our way through students that have started to gather around to see what their queen has to say. We stop once we're at Rick's, Fagan's, and Ashley's sides. The only thing I hear is my heart thudding in my ears until Amber opens her mouth to speak.

"Ah, good, you're here, too," she says, looking down at me and Lilly.

I nervously reach for my girlfriend's hand, afraid of what's about to come.

Amber looks back at the students. "I have an announcement to make."

"Amber, don't," Rick hisses, looking almost helpless.

"Shut up," she tells him, then goes back to her audience. Then, her face changes. She looks like she's about to cry. "Something really bad happened the other day to me and Ashley in the locker room." Her voice sounds sad. If I didn't know what was coming, I might believe her act. "Isn't that right, Ashley?"

Ashley, looking frightened, squeaks out, "uh, sure."

"Amber…" Rick gives her a pleading look.

She ignores him and lets a fake tear slide down her cheek. "What happened to us, it was terrible. I'm scarred for life."

"I don't want to be a part of this," Ashley mutters to Fagan, who's standing next to her. She is silenced, however by a glare from Amber, which goes unnoticed by the rest of the students.

"Don't do it, Amber." Rick shakes his head at her. "This is wrong and you know it."

Once again, he is ignored. Amber bows her head and takes a deep breath; then, she looks up, ready to make her announcement. My heart is going into overdrive because of my nerves and my hand has turned blue, as well as Lilly's, since we're both holding onto each other for dear life.

"The other day, Miley Stewart and Lilly Truscott-"

But she doesn't get to finish her accusation. Rick jumps onto the table beside her and claps his hand over her mouth. There's an audible gasp from the audience and the brown-haired boy glances around apprehensively.

"Miley and Lilly," he begins nervously, "loaned Amber and Ashley some eye liner when they ran out. This never happens, because Amber and Ashley take their make up very seriously. So Amber just wanted to thank Miley and Lilly for their generosity and say she's sorry for any mean thing she's ever said about them and she will no longer make their lives hell."

He finishes by flashing his pearly whites at the students, who start clapping, seeming to accept his speech, which we know was a lame cover up. Then, Amber slaps his hand away from her mouth, grabs him by the wrist, pulls him off the table with her, and out the cafeteria. Ashley and Fagan chase after them, Lilly, Jake, and I following as well.

"What the hell was that?!" Amber yells at Rick as soon as we all burst into the hall. She has Rick against a locker, bits of his shirt balled in her fists.

"I was saving you from making a fool of yourself, that's what!" Rick yells back, trying to free his shirt from her grip. "I told you it was a stupid idea!"

"You weren't saying that yesterday!"

"Just let it go, Amber," Ashley says from behind her friend. "It's over, there's nothing you can do."

"Stay out of this!" Amber screams over her shoulder. "What changed your mind, Rick? Huh?!"

"I thought about it," he says. "And it was just plain cruel. Just because you don't like them doesn't mean you should ruin their lives!"

"Their lives are worthless! They're going to Hell anyway!"

"Shut up!" Fagan yells. "Just shut up! I'm so sick of you putting down gay people!"

Amber lets go of Rick's shirt and turns on Fagan. "Why? Because you're a faggot?"

"Hey!" Ashley walks up to Amber. "You don't have to be a bitch to him just because he stands up for what he believes in."

"Oh grow up, Ashley!" Amber spits. "It's so obvious he's a total queer."

"I am," Fagan says, nodding calmly.

Amber gives a cruel laugh. "Oh, I knew it." She smirks evilly at Ashley. "See that, your boyfriend's a fag."

"So is yours," Rick says, crossing his arms over his chest.

Amber turns to him, her eyes looking like they're about to pop out of her head. "_What?!_"

"You heard me," he says. "So, we're done."

"You cannot break up with me!"

"I just did," Rick says, almost looking amused. "Oh, and while I'm at it, Miley and Lilly have a video showing me and Fagan talking about your little plan. So if you try to pull it off, you'll be the one sent to jail for lying on the witness stand. I just saved your ass in there. By the way, you have to be nice to them now. Or else, everyone will see what a bitch you really are. Because I just promised the entire cafeteria you were going to be nice to them. And if the school figures out you're a bitch, you lose your power. And you don't want that to happen, now do you?" Rick smirks, winking over Amber's shoulder at us.

Amber looks over at us, a snarl on her lips. "You're ruined," she says to Rick. "Come on, Ashley, we're not associating with these abominations anymore." She starts to stalk off down the hallway, until she realizes no one's following her. "Ashley?"

Ashley is rooted on the spot, looking pensively at the ground. "No," she says softly, then averts her eyes upward. "I'm not going with you. I'm staying here, with Rick and Fagan."

"You'd rather be friends with _them _than with _me?_"

"Yeah!" Ashley nods. "They're way better friends than you. You tried to put me in a situation where I could have gone to jail and they saved me from that! I'm not going to ditch them just because they're gay. The only reason I was a bitch to Miley and Lilly is because you were. When in reality, I don't have a problem with gay people. My uncle's gay, and he's awesome. I just wanted you to accept me. So I was a bitch to people for years. But I'm done with that now. I'm done trying to win your acceptance. And I'm done with you." With that, she throws an arm over Fagan's shoulder. Then, she motions for Rick to come forward. When he does, she throws an arm over his shoulder, too. "I'm sticking with my real friends. And you're not one of them."

Amber stands there, dumbstruck, as if she'd been slapped. Then, she recollects herself and sneers at them. "Whatever. You're all pathetic. I don't need you." She turns and marches off down the hall. We all watch her go until she turns a corner.

Then, there's a collective sigh of relief.

"I cannot believe we just did that!" Rick says.

"Us either," I say. They turn to us, almost surprised to find us standing there, as if they'd forgotten we'd followed them.

"Why did you come with us?" Rick asks.

"We thought you might need backup." I smile. "But you handled that situation pretty well on your own."

"Yeah," Fagan says, his cheeks turning red. "Sorry, Ashley, but I think we need to break up."

"Perfectly fine with me, you're a better friend anyway." She grins and kisses him on the cheek.

"What I want to know is when you suddenly grew a conscience," Jake says, looking at Rick.

The boy squirms under Jake's gaze. "It was always there, I just never listened to it. I think it was like that for all of us." Fagan and Ashley nod, and Rick continues, "Amber was the queen and we had to follow her, or be cast off. So, we were jerks."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about all the shit I've put you guys through," Ashley says.

"It's okay," I say, my head sort of spinning. This is all happening so fast.

"But why come out?" Lilly asks. "This morning you were pretty set on staying in the closet. You could have walked away from this without outing yourselves."

Fagan shrugs and runs a hand through his blonde hair. "Just felt like the right time. I can't explain it. A voice in my head just said, _do it_, so I did before my brain could stop my mouth."

"And I did because he did," Rick says. "We're equal partners in this." They share a smile.

"Awe," I say, and slip my arm around Lilly's waist. I pull her close to me as her arm slides around my shoulder, pulling me to her at the same time. We press our cheeks together in a sideways hug.

"Are you ready for the repercussions of what you've said?" Jake asks.

"No," Fagan says honestly. "But I'm tired of pretending to be something I'm not."

"Best of luck, then," Lilly says.

"Thanks," Rick says, smiling. "So, Truce?"

I look at Lilly and Jake. They both nod. Then, I look back to my former enemies and nod. "Truce."

- - -

After that, Lilly, Jake, and I leave school. We're ditching, but we all think we need a mental health day after what we've been through. Jake goes home to catch a nap before he has to go to a photo shoot later in the evening. I understand completely. The celebrity life can be tiring. But I'm grateful for this because I just want some alone time with my girlfriend.

"Think your mom's going to be pissed that we ditched school?" I ask as we get under the covers of my bed.

She thinks about it for a moment before answering. "Nah, if we tell her what happened, I think she'll be cool about it." She looks at me. "What about Jackson?"

"After all the times he's ditched, he has no room to talk."

We both laugh at this.

"Something's wrong here," Lilly says, a small frown on her face.

I prop myself up on my elbow and look at her. "What's that?"

"You're not in my arms," she says seriously.

I smile. "That _is_ a problem."

She opens her arms for me and I settle into her embrace, her arms wrapping protectively around my back. I bury my face in her neck, enjoying the way she shivers when my breath hits her skin. Our bodies mold perfectly together. Honestly, I think we were made for each other.

Suddenly, feeling warm and safe, I realize how exhausted I am.

"Lil?" I say, taking in a whiff of her vanilla scent.

"Hmm?" She murmurs. I can tell just from that small noise that she's just about as tired as I am.

"I'm gonna go to sleep, okay?"

"Alright, me too."

"And Lil?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Miles," Lilly says, a smile in her voice.

And then, I drift off to sleep, safely enveloped in the arms of my companion, confidante, soul mate, friend, and lover: My Lilly.

- - -

**Bam, chapter 24. Only one left. Oh no! Sorry, but it's time to let go.**

**That last part almost made me cry, just saying. Review. **


	25. We Have Made It Through

**Lovecalculator(dot)com- type in Miley Stewart and Lilly Truscott. It'll make your day. Made mine. 99 percent chance of being successful ;) Lilly Truscott and Oliver Oken? 47 percent. Just saying.**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Hannah Montana. I do not own We the Kings or their songs "Skyway Avenue" or "Check Yes Juliet"**

**This would have been uploaded last night, but for some reason, it wasn't letting my upload...Anything! It kept saying I had an error. I tried on a different computer, same thing. Two of my friends had the same problem. Did this happen to anyone else? Let me know.  
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**Welcome to the last chapter of **_**Skyway Avenue**_**. I have been working on this story for well over a year. I think at times it got ridiculous and out of hand, but I kept working. For those of you that have stuck with it, thank you. This was my first ever fan fiction and it has helped me grow so much as a writer. It's hard to let it go, but the time has come. Let us say goodbye…**

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**(Miley's POV)**

Once Fagan and Rick came out, the school was in chaos for about a week. After that, the gossipers lost interest because some ninth grader got pregnant. The 'gays' like me, Lilly, Rick, and Fagan were forgotten. For a while, that is.

About a month later, Jake, Lilly, and I went shopping at the strip on Skyway Avenue. We were helping Jake pick out an outfit for an awards show, one which Hannah had been invited to but politely declined. Hannah was on the backburner. Still is.

Anyway, while we were shopping, we had paparazzi following us everywhere we went. They snapped shots of us the entire time. They probably figured Jake and I were back together, since the public knew we had dated at one point. But Lilly and I held hands, not me and Jake.

When the tabloids came out, there was a picture of all three of us across the front of all of them. They all had a picture of Jake standing beside me and Lilly, looking at a shirt, while Lilly kissed me on the cheek, a huge smile of glee painted across my face.

My favorite headline from those tabloids was "Jake Ryan's Ex Likes Same Sex!"

I keep picturing the look on my daddy's face when he got a load of that. Priceless! Heather was a little angry at first that they exploited her daughter, but then she just laughed it off. After all, there wasn't anything she could do about it anyway. And Lilly and I actually thought it was hilarious.

We were the talk of the school once again when the magazines came out. But that only lasted two days, until Amber was caught giving a blow job to the star quarterback of the football team in the biology lab.

She got kicked out of school for that. Karma: what goes around comes around. It's true. She tried to get us kicked out, but then she got kicked out…And probably herpes, too.

Then, she was forgotten the next week when one of the nerds got his braces off and a haircut and was _sooo _cute, apparently.

That's high school for ya.

Lilly and I have been together for a good six months now. Things couldn't be better. Living between her house and my house is so much fun. And Jackson and I are actually getting along, which still amazes me. He's doing well in his business classes, much to everyone's surprise.

We got a letter from dad one day. He basically said everything he said on the phone. And added how ashamed he was in Jackson for supporting me. But, he sent us money to pay the bills and buy food, none the less. He still does, every month. I'm ready to dip into the Hannah fund so we won't have to use his money anymore. I don't want it. I want to buy the house off him and buy my own goddamn food. It's still _his _food that I'm eating. But Jackson won't let. He says as soon as I turn eighteen, Daddy's going to stop sending money anyway, so I might as well keep my money saved as long as I can.

I'd rather starve. And it's not like I would do that anyway. Lilly and Heather would feed us. We're a family, after all. Me, Lilly, Heather, and Jackson. It's so odd, but we've really come together.

Adam, Lilly's brother, has come to visit a few times. He's come around, which I can tell makes Lilly really happy. Her dad's come to visit, too. At first, it made my chest hurt to see him, because it just reminded me that my dad abandoned me. But to see Lilly so happy made that pain go away…Almost. What he did to me will always hurt, but I've started to move on. I've stopped wishing he would come back and accept me. I know it won't happen. The only thing I can do is move forward with my life. And I have a pretty good one.

My relationship with Lilly has developed into so much more than it was six months ago. Then, everything was new and scary at times. We had to overcome so much. But now that we have, we've become stronger as people and as a couple. I am confident when I say that I don't think anything could tear us apart. We've been through too much together to let that happen.

I can see myself spending the rest of my life with her. She's the most important thing in the world to me. I love her with all of my heart. Her eyes, her smile, her laugh. Everything about her is perfect. I could die happy, looking into her deep blue orbs. And that blonde hair is like golden silk. So soft. I love when she puts her head in my lap and looks up at me with those electrifying eyes. I run my fingers through her soft hair and she grins up at me. I smile down at her and keep running my fingers through her hair until her eyes droop closed and she falls asleep.

Just thinking about it makes my heart flutter. It's the simple things like that, the ones most people take for granted, that make me realize how much I care about her and how much she means to me.

That's why I've thrown this party for her tonight, where I am now.

It's Lilly's seventeenth birthday. We're on the roof top eating area of Lilly's favorite pizza place located on Skyway Avenue. I've gathered a few of our friends and family this evening. Friends like Jake and Sarah. I even invited Fagan, Rick, and Ashley, who after the cafeteria fiasco with Amber, have been really nice. They're actually friends of ours now. Lilly and I went on a double date with Rick and Fagan the other night and had a great time. As usual, it took Lilly a little longer to trust them than me, but she came around.

For tonight, I used Hannah and pulled a few strings to get live musical entertainment. We the Kings, Lilly's favorite band, is on the small stage at the edge of the roof that local bands usually play on. Lilly was speechless when she saw them. And when they played "Check Yes Juliet" she sang along the entire time.

I look around the roof now, trying to find my girlfriend, whom I seem to have lost.

My eyes dart around until they settle on a head of gorgeous blonde hair. There's Lilly, leaning against the railing, staring off into space.

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**(Lilly's POV)**

What's the point of loving something? Honestly.

Seems to me that everything you love either leaves you or dies.

Miley loved her dad; he left. We both loved Oliver; he died.

Love can't come without heartbreak. So why love anything when in the end, your heart's just going to get broken?

I used to think like that all the time. Especially after my dad left. And then those dreams where everyone would leave me. Miley helped cure those dreams. She also filled that hole in my heart, the one I didn't know I had until she came along and got rid of it.

Loving someone is possibly the stupidest thing you could ever do. You're just hurting yourself by letting yourself love someone.

Well, call me stupid, but I fell in love with Miley Ray Stewart. I don't know how or why it happened, but it did. And I wouldn't change that for anything in the world.

When we first started dating, I worried she would leave me. I mean, beautiful, funny, perfect Miley Stewart, dating some skater, tom boy loser like me? It was only a matter of time before she came to her senses.

But that never happened. She stuck by my side through everything. The girl that could have had anyone she wanted chose me. I don't question it anymore. I'm not afraid she'll leave me. She needs me, just like I need her. We've been through Hell and back together. Her dad, Oliver, coming out. I'd do anything for that girl.

So, if I know she won't leave me, that leaves something else to worry about…Death. At only sixteen, that's a pretty pessimistic way to look at things. And now that I'm seventeen, I can't help but think about it more. Oliver would have turned seventeen last month if he hadn't died. He didn't plan that. No one plans to die that young. Miley or I could get in a freak accident like that, too.

But I can't live my life worrying about that. Because if I dwell on that, I will too busy worrying to enjoy life. And I love my life at the moment. I've got Miley and my mom and Jackson and friends like Jake. Sure, we're all going to die someday. But I'd like to think that's many, many years away. So I won't worry about that now.

Miley is the most perfect girlfriend ever. This party is amazing. There's no way I'm going to be able to top this for her birthday in a few months. I mean, she got my favorite band for Christ's sakes!

"_She said let's change our luck_

_This night is all we've got_

_Drive fast until we crash_

_This dead end life_

_Sweet dreams that won't come true_

_I'd leave it all for you_

_Brick walls are closing in_

_Let's make a run tonight"_

I close my eyes and listen in pure bliss to the song that, ironically, shares its name with the street I'm on right now. I take in a deep breath, breathing in the sea air that follows you no matter where you go in Malibu.

"_Blinded by the lights_

_Hold you through forever_

_Won't let you go"_

A familiar pair of arms slip around my waist. I lean back into the body I know so well, mine blending with hers.

"Hello," I say, opening my eyes and gazing out over the shops.

"Hi there," Miley says softly in my ear. "Enjoying your party?"

"Mhm, very much." I smile.

"Then why are you over here all by yourself instead of over there, right up front, watching the band?"

"I was just thinking."

Miley rests her chin on my shoulder. I shift my head a little and cast my eyes downward. She's looking right back up at me with those gray-blue eyes.

"About what?" she asks curiously.

I let out a sigh. "Life and love."

"'_Cause if you jump _

_I will jump too_

_We will fall together_

_From the building's ledge_

_Never looking back at what we've done_

_We'll say it was love_

'_Cause I would die for you_

_On skyway avenue"_

"Care to clarify?" Miley asks.

I turn around in her arms, them staying on my waist and mine finding their way around her neck.

"Just, how short life is," I say, looking in her eyes. "Ya know, Oliver would have turned seventeen last month."

Miley nods, her eyes becoming somewhat glassy. "I know," she says, her voice strained. It still hurts both of us to talk about him sometimes.

"Well, what's the point of loving anything?" I shrug my shoulders. "In the end, it either leaves you or dies. Your dad left," Miley's jaw tightens at mention of her dad, "Oliver died. And your heart broke when he left and both of ours broke when Ollie died. Love can't come without heartbreak. So why love anything if you're just going to end up hurting?"

Miley looks at me with an expression that's hard to read. "Are-" she gulps, "are you saying you don't want to be with me anymore?"

"God, no, Miles!" I pull her closer to me and hug her with all my might. "I love you and you know that."

"Then why are you asking me what's the point of loving something?!" She asks, leaning back to look at me, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"I don't know, I guess it was just on my mind." I shake my head and wipe away her tear. "But I think I have an answer."

"What is it?"

"_She said don't change your mind_

_Let's leave this town behind_

_We'll race right off the cliff_

_They will remember this_

_It all got so mundane_

_With you I'm back again_

_Just take me by the hand_

_We're close to the edge"_

"We, as humans, have to love something," I say. "Because when we love something, it gives us hope. And we put our faith in what we love. It gives us something to believe in. And we have to have something to believe in. Otherwise, we have nothing to live for. So we live for what we love. Because if we didn't, we wouldn't live at all."

Miley is silent, chewing on her lip as she ponders this.

"_Blinded by the lights_

_Hold you through forever_

_Won't let you go"_

"That makes sense…" she says finally. "I think."

"I don't think it makes sense at all," I say with a slight smile. "Love doesn't have to make sense. It's just… Love. It's the closest thing we have to magic. There's no explaining it. It just… Is."

"Lilly Truscott, you are one confusing girl." Miley shakes her head at me with an amused smile.

"But you love me," I say.

"Yes." She smiles, lifting her hand to stroke my cheek and looking in my eyes. "I do."

"'_Cause if you jump _

_I will jump too_

_We will fall together_

_From the building's ledge_

_Never looking back at what we've done_

_We'll say it was love_

'_Cause I would die for you_

_On skyway avenue"_

"Miley, if I were to jump off the roof right now, what would you do?" I ask, turning from her grasp and looking over the railing.

"You'd die," Miley muses, looking over the railing as well. "Or at least break your legs."

"No, that's not what I meant," I say quickly, then look at her. "I mean, would you jump with me?"

"What?" She asks me like I've lost my mind.

"Would you take my hand and jump with me?"

She looks from me, to the ground, then back at me again. "Yeah, probably," she says softly.

"And why would you do that?"

"Because I love you," she says immediately after I ask. "I'm with you 'til the end. So if you jump over that ledge, we'd fly together, 'til we hit the ground."

"And then?" I ask, taking her hands in mine.

"I don't know, Lilly." She shakes her head a little. "All I know is that nothing is going to take you away from me. If you go somewhere, I go. If you jump off this roof, I'll be right behind you. Because wherever you go, my heart goes, too."

"_Where are your guts to fly?_

_Soaring through, through the night_

_And if you take that last step_

_I'll follow you_

_Leave the edge and fly_

_We're finally alive"_

"You're not really going to jump, are you?" Miley asks warily.

"No." I shake my head quickly. "It was just one of those crazy thoughts in my head."

"Well, it kinda scared me."

"Sorry," I say sheepishly. "I just had to know."

"Lils, you know I'm always going to be here for you, no matter what," Miley says, taking my face in her hands. "After everything we've been through, I couldn't leave you. Not even if I tried, which I would never do. Ever! Face it, Lillian, you're stuck with me." She finishes with a smile.

I smile right back at her. "Miles, after all we've dealt with this year, I am so thankful for you. It hasn't always been easy, but so far, it's been great. I don't ever want to be without you."

"Me either." Miley gives me a quick peck on the lips. "Now come on, let's go watch the band." She takes my hand and starts to lead me to the stage.

An idea pops into my head and before I have time to talk myself out of it, I pull her back and stop her. "Miley, wait!"

She turns and looks at me. "What is it, Lil?"

I get down on one knee and look at her, trying to show her all I feel about her through my eyes. "Will you marry me?"

Miley's jaw drops. She opens it and closes it a few times before sputtering out. "We- uh- I- I'm sixteen, Lil. You're only seventeen."

"I know, I didn't mean right this minute," I say quickly. "I just meant someday. In the future, the distant future. After college maybe, or as soon as gay marriage is legalized." I pause for a few seconds. "I just can't imagine life without you."

"I can't imagine life without you either," she says, reaching out and cradling my cheek lovingly.

I stand, still holding her hand. "So that's a yes?" I ask hopefully.

Miley smiles mischievously. "No. That's a maybe."

And before I can say anything else, she starts pulling me towards the band. We get to the front of the crowd that's gathered around them and I slip my arms around Miley's waist. She smiles and puts her hands on top of my arms, leaning into me. I smile and sing along softly in her ear.

She hasn't given me an answer, but that's okay. I don't need one. Not yet, anyway. We have our whole lives for that. But for now, I'm just going to live in this moment. This perfect moment with the perfect girl. It's one of those moments where everything else seems to melt away and you're so wrapped up in one thing, it's all that seems to matter, it's all you can focus on. And right now, all I'm focusing on is me and Miley, dancing the night away on the top of a pizza joint on Skyway Avenue.

"'_Cause if you jump _

_I will jump too_

_We will fall together_

_From the building's ledge_

_Never looking back at what we've done_

_We'll say it was love_

'_Cause I would die for you_

_On skyway avenue_

_So what's left to prove_

_We have made it through."_

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**Epilogue**

Miley and Lilly stayed together all through high school. Both were accepted to USC, where they each attended the fall after high school. Miley majored in music, while Lilly went into psychology.

Jackson graduated from Malibu Community College with a degree in business. His experience with the miscarriage forced him to grow up. He took over Hannah Montana's management team. Later, he began dating Sarah, Miley's friend from high school. They were married after two years of dating, three years after Sarah finished high school and one before she finished college. They welcomed their first child, Elizabeth Marie a year after being married, with no complications. Today, they are expecting their second child, another girl, to be named Caroline Nicole.

Hannah went on tour the summer after Miley finished high school. Lola Luftnagle, her girlfriend, was by her side the entire time. They were open about the relationship from the start. The public supported the relationship, just happy to have their favorite popstar back. Miley balanced Hannah and college as best as she could, going to events every now and then and only going on tour in the summers between semesters.

During college, Miley and Lilly lived together in a little apartment just off campus. They still visited Jackson and Heather as often as possible. Once graduated, Miley used some of her Hannah money to buy a small shop, which she opened as a music store, selling guitars, drums, and anything else a musician might need. She called it Musical Miley's, and it is still open to this day. Lilly, on the other hand, became a social worker and got a job as a counselor at a local counseling office. She is still there to this day and so far has helped dozens of patients, especially those dealing with abandonment issues.

When Miley and Lilly were twenty-three, gay marriage was legalized nation-wide. Lilly popped the question again. This time, Miley said yes. They wasted no time tying the knot, getting married the day after the law was passed.

They have been married for six years. Two years after they were married, Miley gave birth to their first child, a little girl named Susan Miley, after Miley and her mother. Three years later, Lilly gave birth to their second child and third child. She had twins, a boy named Oliver Oscar, in honor of their late, very missed, friend, and a girl Heather Lillian, for Lilly and her mother, just like Susan. Susan takes much after Miley, having her curly, brown hair and intense, gray-blue eyes. Little Oliver does not take after Lilly at all. He looks so much like the original Oliver, it is shocking. He has large brown eyes and a mop of dark brown hair. If Miley and Lilly didn't know better, they would have thought the original Oliver would have been the sperm donor, and, therefore, the father. Heather, on the other hand, looks like a miniature version of Lilly. She has her mother's electrifying blue eyes and golden hair.

Mr. Stewart never contacted either of his children and never came to visit. Neither Jackson nor Miley has any interest in contacting him, either. The only thing he had named after him was a cockroach that ran through Miley and Lilly's kitchen one night right after Susan was born. Miley, who had been nursing Susan in the living room of the house they'd moved into when they found out the were expecting, heard Lilly squeal from the kitchen, followed by the sound of things being flung about the room. Moments later, it all stopped and Lilly walked out, smiling triumphantly with a paper napkin in her hand.

"Cockroach," Lilly had said, holding the napkin up. "Got the little vermin."

"Talking about my father?" Miley had asked with an amused smile, looking up from the infant in her arms.

And from then on, they named all cockroaches Robby Ray.

Jake continued acting, staying a close friend to Miley and Lilly. He is the godfather to Little Oliver, while Jackson is Susan's godfather and Adam, Lilly's brother, is Heather's. Jake eventually married Ashley, who he got very close to in his senior year of high school. They have one son, Tyler Joseph. He has already been in two diaper commercials, following in his father's footsteps as an actor.

Lilly's mother never stopped supporting her daughter and her daughter's best friend, turned girlfriend, turned wife. She baby sits her grandchildren whenever asked and makes a point to see them as often as possible. Lilly's father finally realized how miserable Dianne made him and divorced her, moving back out to Malibu to be closer to his daughter and grandchildren. Adam got a job with an advertising agency only fifteen minutes outside of Malibu and visits his sister, sister-in-law, nephew, niece, and goddaughter as often as possible.

Fagan and Rick got married a few months after Lilly and Miley. Rick became a stand-in in the movie industry, while Fagan pursued a modeling career, which has been successful so far. If it doesn't continue to work out, he has a degree in photography to fall back on. They are currently looking into adopting their first child.

Amber became a prostitute, getting every sexually transmitted disease possible. She got picked up by the police and sent to jail. Now, she is in an all woman's prison, where she gets hit on by other women every day. Karma has definitely caught up with her.

Today, at age twenty-nine, Lilly and Miley live in a four bedroom home in Malibu with their three children. Susan is about to have her fifth birthday, while the twins just made a year. Both Lilly and Miley have grown into successful, mature women. Their love is stronger than ever. And now, with a bigger family, there's more love to go around. They've been through a lot over the years, but nothing was as hard as what they went through at the very beginning of their relationship. Guess that just goes to show, you have to go through hard times to get to the good ones. Lilly and Miley have learned this. And they're thankful for every hard experience they went through, because it got them where they are today. And neither of woman would change her life for anything in this world.

**The end.**

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**I had to tell you what happened to them because it was important to me, but I didn't feel like writing another story or chapter, so I just added a short epilogue to the chapter.**

**Thank you so much for reading! I am going to miss this story. It's become a part of me. Hard to let go, but I must. I have too many other stories floating around in my head. Seriously, I have five… I started writing a new Liley story, so be on the lookout for it! I have no idea when it will be out, but I want it to be either done or almost done when I start uploading it, so we shall see! **

**Review, tell me your thoughts.**


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